Spirited Away 2: The Unbroken Promise
by writer48
Summary: Six years have passed since Chihiro's run in with the Spirit World. Her parents abuse her and the only thing keeping her going is the thought of seeing Haku again. She wants him to come back for her and save her from her terrible situation. Will he get there in time? Will she get to go back to the place she belongs? Please Review!
1. Chapter 1: The Years Apart

I would just like my first fanfiction up for any criticism or reviews you have to offer! I love Spirited Away and thought it left just a little bit of a cliffhanger so I felt the need to make my own version of a sequel for it. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away

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Spirited Away 2: The Unbroken Promise

Chapter 1:

**Chihiro's POV **

-Flashback-

_"What about you? What'll you do?"_

_"Don't worry. I'll go back and have a talk with Yubaba. I'll tell her I'm going to quit being her apprentice. I'm fine. I got my name back."_

_"Will we meet again sometime?" _

_"Sure we will."_

_"Promise?"_

_"Promise. Now go and don't look back."_

-End Flashback-

Six years of pain and yearning. Six years of hoping and waiting for Haku to fulfill his promise to her. She knew he wouldn't break his promise but couldn't help but lose a little hope as each day passed. She missed him. She missed Lin, Kamajii, No-Face, Granny and even that hateful witch Yubaba… but most of all she missed Haku, who had stolen her heart when she was 10 and still holds it to this very day. It was that love that was her rock, the one thing that kept her strong when all she felt was pain.

Every day since she walked back through that tunnel, she regrets it. After being changed into pigs and back, Chihiro's parents became violent and uncaring towards their daughter, blaming her for their memory loss and everything bad that ever happened to them. They starved her, turned her into their own personal slave and beat her daily.

At school she was quiet, always wishing to be unnoticed, and sometimes even dead. She had no friends and really didn't care. The only friends she needed were in the Spirit World but she was losing hope of ever seeing them again.

She used to run to the tunnel every day after school, trying to gain entrance to the world in which she belonged, but then her parents' beatings got more intense so she barely had the energy to make it to school and home and get all of her chores done before her parents got home from work.

Her body was constantly weak and barely surviving. She was skin and bones but no one could tell because she always wore baggy clothes. In her malnourished state, her body had barely developed and so she still had the body of her ten year old self, with the exception of growing to 5'2" and developing small breasts.

Right now, Chihiro was walking home from school, being very cautious of her steps considering every step she took induced a shot of pain through her ribs, from the especially grueling beating she had taken last night. Her parents had lost some money from betting on the wrong horse in the derby and Chihiro had apparently left a scuff mark on their kitchen floor, putting her directly in their line of fire.

She knew that if she could just get home as fast as possible, and get her chores done early then she could maybe sneak a little food from the pantry before her parents got home, seeing how she hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. Then she could fall asleep and let her dreams take her to the most amazing place she had ever been, as they did every night.

Today, however, was no normal day, and Chihiro realized this when she arrived home and saw both of her parents' cars in the driveway. Her stomach sank and she got a feeling in her gut telling her to run away as fast as possible but that walk home had really taken a lot out of her, so she went inside to face the two people who scared her the most in this world.

"Where have you been, you little piece of shit?!" her father yelled as soon as she walked into the house.

She knew better than to respond, it would only make them angrier. That was when her mother came out from the kitchen with a fork that was red from heat, and she tried to run away, only to be caught in the harsh grip of her father.

Her mother spoke up as she neared Chihiro, fork held high, "We lost more money today. We wouldn't have to worry about money so much if you weren't here, with all of your incessant needs. So we felt like a little pay back would be in order."

Chihiro knew it was no good, but she screamed anyway and struggled against her father's hold, all to no avail. When she was least expecting it, her mother came at her with the scorching fork and pressed it against the exposed flesh on her daughter's right shoulder.

At first, it was hard for Chihiro to comprehend what was happening; all she knew was the burning pain that kept exploding where there was any exposed skin, as her mother ruthlessly attacked her over and over again. All she could do was scream and hope for it all to be over soon.

After about 14 new marks were burned into her body, Chihiro's mother threw the fork to the side and her father began taking his anger out on his daughter by mercilessly beating her with his fists for several minutes, until Chihiro's face and body were covered in blood, bruises, and burns.

Her parents seemed to lose interest then, and stormed off into their kitchen, leaving Chihiro in a bloody heap on the floor, barely on the edge of consciousness. With every ounce of strength she could muster, she dragged herself to her room and soon fell into unconsciousness, lying on the floor.

She woke an hour later, in more pain than she has ever been in, only to hear her parents yelling for their little servant girl to go to the kitchen and clean up their mess from dinner. They were angry about her not having done her chores and so she set off on her daily chores mumbling to herself "Haku, I need you now more than ever, please keep your promise and come save me from this horrible place and these mean people. I don't know how much longer I can survive this…", not realizing that the dragon she was speaking to was right outside the house, seething with rage at what he had overheard and seen through the window, Chihiro's beaten body and the work she had been ordered to do….

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**Haku's POV**

After Chihiro left the Spirit World, those six years ago, Haku had gone back to talk with Yubaba, just as he said he would.

-Flashback-

_"Yubaba, we need to talk." Haku commanded as he stormed into the old hag's office. While he was walking back to the bathhouse he had discovered all of his powers, that came with the title of River Spirit (AKA River God) were returning to him. He knew that with his rediscovered strength and vigor, he now overpowered the old witch and so he stood his ground against her._

_"Haku, what an unpleasant, yet expected surprise. What can I do for you?"_

_"If you are going to address me, you old hag, address me by my real name, Kohaku."_

_Yubaba sat there, behind her desk, stunned into silence before she started stuttering, "But… How did… I…WHAT?" and that's when realization hit her, "SEN! I should have killed that ungrateful little human when I had the chance! I should have turned her into a little piglet so that I could serve her up as a delicious meal alongside her par—"_

_She was cut off when Haku suddenly roared, "IF YOU EVER TOUCH A SINGLE HAIR ON THAT INNOCENT GIRL'S HEAD I WILL PERSONALLY TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB AND MAKE IT AS SLOW AND PAINFUL AS POSSIBLE! HAVING GAINED ALL OF MY POWER BACK ALONG WITH MY NAME, I AM NOW STRONGER THAN YOU AND COULD KILL YOU IN AN INSTANT! NOW, I WANT YOU OUT OF THIS BATHHOUSE RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME YOU WILL NOT LIVE TO SEE YOUR SON GROW ANOTHER DAY!"_

_Cowering away from Haku's deathly stare, Yubaba tried to reason with the fierce dragon, "Now, Kohaku, let's not be rash. I promise I will let your little human live her life in peace, but please, let me stay in my bathhouse. I have owned this establishment for over 800 years; don't make me give it up. Please, that is all-"_

_"Leaving Chihiro in peace is not enough, Yubaba. I don't care how long you have run this bathhouse. I want you out! All you know how to do is torture people, and steal their names. That is the only reason you still have these workers. I don't agree with your wicked decisions and the way you run this bathhouse and I will not stand by any longer! LEAVE. NOW." There was power behind the last two words he spoke. A sense of finality that had the old witch cowering in the corner._

_Yubaba fled to her son, Boh's, room and told him they had to leave and get far away from the bathhouse before something bad happened and the response she received was not one she was expecting ,"Mama, I don't like you anymore. You're mean to everyone. You kept me locked in here for the last 400 years and lied to me about the outside. I wanna go live with Auntie Zeniba. She's nice. She made Sen happy."_

_"But Boh, sweetie-"_

_"Goodbye, Mama" Boh said and then looked to Haku who had followed Yubaba into her son's room and heard the conversation. He transported Boh to Zeniba's house, safely out of Yubaba's reach._

_"It's time for you to go now, Yubaba. Keep in mind, if I see you again, you will be killed without hesitation." And with that, Yubaba disappeared and Haku decided he would run the bathhouse._

-End Flashback-

For years, Haku spent his time turning around the bathhouse, making it a welcome place to work and visit. He was unfortunately unable to find the contracts for the workers, so none of them got their names back, but seeing how the old hag had left, and been replaced by a civil, courteous, and respectable boss, they didn't care. They were now paid well and had decent hours. They were finally happy, unlike their admirable boss, who yearned to see Chihiro again, to hold her in his arms and to finally be reunited with her.

Day after day, he and Zeniba would experiment with different spells and work together to try to find a way to open the gate between the Spirit and Human worlds. It took six years and a lot of hard work but they had finally done it! They had finally created a successful spell to open the gate!

He could wait no longer. As soon as he realized the spell had worked, he set off to find his mate, hoping that she had not forgotten him and hoped she would forgive him for taking six long years to keep his promise. Once he crossed through the gate, he caught her scent easily, with his dragon senses, and followed it to a blue house on top of a hill, not too far away from the old, red tunnel. He waited patiently outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl he fell in love with and after about 30 minutes of waiting, heard Chihiro's parents yelling for their daughter in a hateful way. Haku had been appalled at the things he'd heard.

He looked in a window as soon as he heard her small, scared voice whispering his name. There, he saw that Chihiro had bruises, burns, and blood covering her body and looked to be severely malnourished. He wondered who could possibly do that to a sweet and lovable person like Chihiro, and then remembered what he heard her parents call her. All at once, he felt guilt and rage take over his body and a sudden urge to go into that house, torture and kill the defenseless so-called-parents and then take Chihiro back to the Spirit World with him and protect her for all eternity.

He realized this might scare Chihiro, so he came up with a plan… He would save his mate and protect her with everything he had.

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First chapter done! I'm happy to see what you guys have to say so please review and give some feedback!


	2. Chapter 2: Chihiro's Protector

I am loving writing this!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed Chapter 1 (**JuliaAbadeerSkellington, Beanatrix LeString, Carly**) I really appreciate it!

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Chapter 2: Chihiro's Protector

**Chihiro's POV**

That severe beating Chihiro took earlier had taken a lot out of her, and she didn't understand how she could still be functioning, the pain and injuries had been so bad, but she was thankful because if she hadn't had the energy or ability to finish her chores, who knows what her parents would have done to her? That didn't mean she wasn't in pain, though. She couldn't help but flinch in pain with every move she made and sometimes a little sob would escape her throat even though she tried to hide it so that her parents wouldn't hear.

She was finishing up the dishes in the kitchen and was about to move on to doing the laundry when she got the feeling of being watched. She turned around and went over to the window to see if anything or anyone was there and she could have sworn she saw a person running away but it was so brief that she came to the conclusion that she was imagining things. She closed the curtains and went back to doing her chores, but apparently not fast enough. Her parents were behind her and they looked livid.

"Why haven't you done the laundry yet, you little bitch?" Her father, Aiko, slurred at her.

Chihiro realized that her parents had been drinking again and that meant they would be especially brutal.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I'm going to the laundry room right now. I'll get it done as quickly as possible." Chihiro murmured, staring at the tiles on the floor that she had just cleaned.

Her mother, Yuuko was no better than her father, "That laundry should've been done an hour ago and I see you haven't taken the trash out either. What the hell kind of servant are you?! You're good for nothing, always slacking. We should just get rid of you for good."

Chihiro knew what was coming and braced herself, hoping that they would get their anger out quickly. She didn't realize how serious her mother was, or just how drunk both of her parents were until they both picked up a boning knife. Chihiro started to turn away to run when she suddenly felt a piercing pain behind her knee on her right leg, hampering her attempts to run. She crashed to the floor and screamed out in pain, only to feel another knife enter her body just above her left hip, directly below her ribs. She cried and screamed, begging for them to stop, only making them angrier and they continued to stab her.

"Shut the fuck up, you piece of shit! No one is going to help you. Who would? You're just a stupid, good for nothing little girl!" Aiko spat at her.

"Haku… Help... I need you now more than ever…" Chihiro whimpered quietly so her parents wouldn't hear.

More stabs. Three in her legs and two in her arms when Chihiro started to black out from the pain, seeing blood cover her, the floor, and her parents. She was on the edge of consciousness, when a strange figure abruptly burst into the kitchen with a chilling snarl and a deathly look in his scalding emerald eyes. He looked familiar to her but her thoughts were so consumed with surviving that she couldn't register everything happening around her. He had black hair with an emerald green tint, but she was too far gone and finally blacked out, only seeing red and feeling pain…

* * *

**Haku's POV**

Haku had been watching Chihiro doing chores and saw her cringe in pain every time she moved and heard her small whimpers every few minutes. All he wanted to do was go to her side and comfort her. He wanted to make everything better and save her from this atrocious place, but he had a plan. He would wait for her to go to sleep and then give her parents everything they deserved, then take Chihiro back to the Spirit World and protect her forever. He couldn't understand how her parents could do this to their own daughter after everything she did to save them from Yubaba's callousness.

Haku was observing her through the window as she finished washing dishes, and saw her freeze for just a second before turning and walking towards the window he was standing by. He wanted nothing more than for her to see him and talk to him but that wasn't part of the plan. She needed to be unaware of him until the time was right, so he turned and swiftly ran to the forest not far from the house. He would wait there until he could hear Chihiro sleeping soundly in her room.

A few minutes later, however, Haku heard shouting coming from the little blue house. He eavesdropped easily, with his sensitive ears and heard the vile things Aiko and Yuuko slurred to their innocent daughter. He was overcome with rage and then heard Zeniba in his head, "_Haku, you're losing time. The spell is wearing off. Get back here soon. I will try to hold it for as long as possible but there are no guarantees. Hurry."_

_"Zeniba, Chihiro is in trouble. I have to help her but I don't want to scare her. Her parents are gruesome people who get highs off beating her. I very much want to kill them, but Chihiro is so fragile, I'm afraid seeing her parents murdered will break her and she will never return to the Spirit World."_

_"Don't worry, child. Chihiro is a strong girl, she can make it through. Do you remember that purple hair tie, her friends and I wove for her those six years ago?"_

_"Yes, why?"_

_"I put a protection spell on it. It's supposed to protect her from all harm that comes her way. She will be fine."_

_"Zeniba, harm has come to her. She has bruises and burns all over her body and she is in much pain. How strong was that spell?" _

_"It was one of the strongest spells I have ever cast. Hmm, I guess my magic isn't as effective in the Human World. It has kept her alive but not been able to—" _Zeniba was cut off by a small voice from a frightened girl who was in unimaginable pain.

Haku heard Chihiro scream in pain and cry and then heard her whisper a plea for him to help her. He was on his feet the instant he heard it and as he ran back to the house he heard flesh being lacerated and more screams emanating from the girl he loves. He ran in the house, not caring about his plan or scaring Chihiro, only worrying about protecting her.

When he found the "family" in the kitchen, the scene in front of him had him seething with rage. He looked to Chihiro, bloodied and unconscious on the floor and then looked to her attackers and saw the satisfied smirks on their faces. They didn't even seem to notice his presence. They were too caught up in the delightful sight of their useless servant finally getting what she deserved. Haku was appalled and couldn't rein his anger in any longer. He exploded.

With a feral snarl, Haku used his magic to pry the gory knives out of the attackers' hands. He walked towards them slowly, with a smoldering gleam in his eyes and Aiko and Yuuko backed away in terror. Haku lunged at them, knives held high, when he heard a movement from behind him. He turned to see Chihiro staring at him with relief and then fright, taking in the sight of Haku about to kill her parents.

"Haku?"

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**Chihiro's POV**

She was willing herself to be conscious again. She had to know if she really just saw who she thought she did or if her imagination was playing tricks on her. She started to become aware of her surroundings again, and her pain, when she opened her eyes and saw the star of her dreams about to kill her parents.

"Haku?"

She was relieved to see he had come back for her, and saved her but as she registered what exactly was happening she became scared. She scooted away just the slightest bit and that movement had not gone unnoticed by the others in the room. Haku looked towards her and she saw a gleam in his eye that she often saw in her parents' eyes right before they beat her. She was terrified.

She watched as Haku shook his head and dropped the knives he had been holding and dropped beside her, "Chihiro, are you okay?" The evil look in his eye had disappeared, replaced by a eyes full of worry and concern. She didn't know how to respond. She just sat there staring into the emerald eyes she missed so much, and began to cry. She then felt strong arms wrap around her and felt herself being pulled up into a tight and tender embrace, only to yelp and whimper in pain.

Haku immediately released her and laid her gently back down on the floor. Chihiro watched as Haku seemed to remember that they were not alone and turned around to give Aiko and Yuuko a chilling glare and heard him say, "You are two lucky people. Had Chihiro stayed unconscious for only one more second, you would be dead. I'm taking her with me now and will deal with you later. You can no longer harm this innocent girl."

"Who the hell are you?" Aiko's voice rang with a note of fear, even though he was trying to hide it. Chihiro had never heard that tone from her father and she was surprised.

"I'm the person who just spared yours and your wife's lives. Remember that you will not be so lucky the next time I see you."

"You can't take her! She's our daughter and we have control over her until she's eighteen. She's ours to do with as we please until then. So, you will leave our house right now, before I call the police on you for trespassing." Yuuko sounded slightly more in charge than Aiko but even she couldn't hide the fear in her voice.

Haku was getting down right pissed off, "You have come so close to killing her that she wouldn't have even had the chance of surviving two more years with you. She is your daughter and you've treated her like a slave. You don't deserve her and quite frankly, you don't even deserve to live. We are leaving and if you even try to stop us, everything that Chihiro has gone through in the past six years will be bestowed onto you. Over and over and over again until you are begging me to kill you."

Chihiro was having trouble staying awake now and felt herself being lifted off the ground. She got her eyes to flutter open one last time to see her parents, the two people she hated most in this world, look completely enraged and dumbfounded, as she was whisked away out of the house she couldn't bear to look at.

The last thing she heard before she blacked out again was Haku's voice saying, "I've missed you so much, I don't know what I would've done if I had gotten here too late. I'm sorry it took so long, I…" and she was out again.

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Any reviews would be greatly appreciated! I would love any feedback you could give me, and if you could tell me things I could improve on, that would be wonderful! I'm also up for any suggestions you all have, honestly, I have no idea where this story is going. I'm just writing as I go and figuring it all out. I don't want to make this a story just about Chihiro and Haku reuniting. I want it to be about their lives after they reunite... So any suggestions?

Schools out today for snow, again (I'm glad I graduate next year)... and I'm having trouble staying away from the computer, so the next chapter will probably be up either tonight or tomorrow night!


	3. Chapter 3: Offical Reunion

This chapter is soooo long, and I love it!

Thanks to **JuliaAbadeerSkellington** who was the only one to review chapter 2! :) Hopefully I'll get some more reviewers soon, but I really love the reviewer I have!

I was going to post this last night, but I finished it at 11:30 and to get up early for a leadership conference this morning, so I'm sorry.

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Chapter 3: Official Reunion

**Third Person POV**

Haku was running as fast as he could, back to the Spirit World, but being in the Human World restricted his powers, so he could not go as fast as he would have liked. He was worried about Chihiro, who wouldn't wake up, just lying limp in Haku's arms. She was too light, and that only worried him more.

After about five minutes of running, he finally made it back to the tunnel and gained all of his powers back. He knew he should've taken Chihiro back to Zeniba's cottage but he didn't know if Chihiro would make it that far, so he opted for the bathhouse. He would get one of the workers there to summon Zeniba.

He ran to the bathhouse in record time. The sun had just set and the bathhouse had opened only a few minutes ago, so, at the end of the bridge, he was bombarded by Lin, who had been looking for him, "Dragon boy! Where the hell have you been? I've been looking for-" That was when she noticed the frail, bloodied girl in Haku's arms. "Is that Sen?! What happened to her?"

"Lin, there's no time for explanations, we need to get Chihiro to a bed quickly, and someone needs to send for Zeniba immediately." With that, Haku ran to the elevators and made his way to the top floor and to his quarters. He laid Chihiro gently on his bed and gathered all the supplies he would need to clean, and heal Chihiro's injuries.

Haku made his way back over to his bed and gently started to wash off all the blood so he could see where all of her injuries were and the severity of them. That's when Zeniba and Lin burst into the room.

"Zeniba, these cuts are severe. Not even my magic will be able to heal them completely. I don't know what to do." Haku was trying his best to be strong but his eyes began to water and he felt helpless for the first time in years.

Lin was shocked into silence. She had missed Sen or Chihiro so much in the last six years, and now she's finally back, but severely injured and barely holding on. Lin had been Haku's second in command since the old hag left, and not once had she seen Haku like this. He had always been strong and in control but Lin could see that he was losing it. He was losing hope.

Zeniba was trying to comfort Haku and help Chihiro at the same time. Her mind was racing, trying to remember a spell or herbs that could help her granddaughter survive when she got an idea, "Haku, we are both powerful beings. Your magic alone might not be strong enough to heal her as much as she needs, but if we combine our powers, then we would most certainly be able to heal her enough to where she can easily survive."

"Zeniba, you're a genius! But how do we do that? I thought that was one of the most complex spells ever created?" Haku was still trying to stop the bleeding of one of the deeper gashes in Chihiro's leg.

"That is only but a rumor. The books say that because people do not want to be overcome by such power created by the merging. All we have to do is put our palms together and focus on retaining the other's power. Then our powers will become one and we can heal her."

Zeniba and Haku, both on either side of Chihiro's body, put their hands together, hovering over the unconscious human and merged their power. They focused first on stopping all the blood that was oozing its way out of the lifeless girl and then healed all of the smaller injuries before moving onto the more serious ones. With all of their power they were able to close the deep cuts to where they weren't as severe but were not able to heal them entirely. After that, Haku and Zeniba were strained and could not do anymore, but they were replete. They had healed her enough to where Chihiro would be able to heal the injuries on her own.

Lin, having watched everything that had just transpired, finally found her voice and her ability to move. She asked Haku if Chihiro would be okay, to which he responded, "Physically, yes, she will heal. Emotionally, I don't know. It seems that for the last six years, Chihiro's parents have been taking all of their anger out on her. Tonight, they were drinking alcohol and got quite intoxicated. They attacked her with knives until she was unconscious and that's when I got to her. I don't know if she'll ever be able to get past this." In his voice, Zeniba and Lin heard guilt, rage, and hopelessness. Neither of them had ever heard Haku sound so desperate and they felt for him. They knew how much he loved Chihiro.

Lin didn't know how to respond to that, so she just went to find more washcloths to help Zeniba and Haku finish wiping all the blood off of Chihiro's body.

Eventually, Chihiro was blood free, except for her clothes, so Zeniba conjured some comfortable pajamas and robes for her granddaughter and made Haku leave so that she and Lin could free Chihiro of the stained clothing. When they had gotten her out of the bloodied items, they were both appalled by how skinny their favorite little human was. Her ribs and hip bones were poking out dangerously and it seemed as if she had no fat on her body at all. They wondered when Chihiro had last eaten.

Haku wasn't too happy about leaving Chihiro's side but knew she was in good hands, so he went to check on his bathhouse and get food for Chihiro.

He returned about twenty minutes later, with a tray of food and a cup of cold water. They all knew she had to eat but none of them had the heart to wake her up after everything she had been through, so they let her be and hoped she'd wake up soon.

Lin was sent back to work rather begrudgingly. They only way Haku could get her to leave was by telling her he'd let her know when Chihiro had woken up.

"Fine, see to it that you do, dragon, or you will regret it," Lin threatened before stalking off to manage the baths.

Zeniba left shortly after, saying, "I will let you have time with her. I know she will come see me soon, and I can't leave No-Face and Boh for too long. I don't know what I'd be going home to," she chuckled, "don't worry yourself too much, Haku. She will be fine, she is one strong girl. She will be grateful for what you have done for her. I know my granddaughter. Everything will work itself out. "

"Thank you, Zeniba. That means a lot to me. When she wakes up I will give her your best wishes." Haku smiled genuinely for the first time since when Chihiro gave his name back to him six years ago.

"It's nice to see that smile again. I'll take my leave now. You better be good to her." With that, Zeniba vanished into thin air, with a smile upon her lips.

Haku wasn't keeping track of time. He just sat beside his bed, willing Chihiro to wake up soon. Sometimes he would murmur how much he had missed her or how glad he was that she was safe and back in the Spirit World with him. He was going to stay by her side until she woke up; he knew Lin could manage the workers without too much hassle. He just wanted Chihiro to wake up, for her to open her beautiful chocolate brown eyes that he missed so much.

He didn't know how long it had been, but a look at the clock on his wall told him he had been sitting there for 3 hours just waiting, when Chihiro finally started to move.

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**Chihiro's POV**

She didn't know what happened, and she didn't know why she felt so comfortable after what her parents had done tonight. Quite frankly, she thought she was dead.

She started to move, to see how bad the pain was this time, but hardly felt any. She was surprised and when she opened her eyes she looked up into piercing emerald eyes that were filled with relief.

"Chihiro? How are you feeling?" His voice rang clearly through her ears. It was so gentle and kind and she had missed it dearly. Haku had matured over the years and she could see that he was now quite muscular and with a quick look, she noticed how incredibly hot he had become. That didn't helo her keep her mind straight and she was having trouble processing everything.

"Where am I?" She asked in a small voice.

"You're in the bathhouse, in the Spirit World. Do you remember what happened?"

"Most of it," she shivered in fear as she went over the events in her head, "I remember my parents had been drinking and I hadn't gotten my chores done in time. They grabbed knives and then all I remember pain, and then you came in… and then I think I blacked out?"

"You did. I couldn't stand what your parents were doing to you so I brought you back here. I've missed you. I'm sorry I took so long. I should've come for you sooner; I just couldn't get the spell right to open the gate. I've been trying every day since you left. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that, I should have been there for you, I should have been protecting you." She could tell he felt immensely guilty about what had happened and didn't think it was right.

"I've missed you, too, Haku. Don't worry about how long it took, I'm here now and I'm just fine, thanks to you. You did protect me. You saved me tonight and I'm extremely thankful. I'm just glad you didn't give up on me." She gave him a small but sincere smile.

"I would never give up on you, Chihiro. You are the most important person to me."

Chihiro felt safe and happy for the first time in six years, but her body was exhausted and as much as she wanted to stay awake and talk to the love of her life, she drifted off into a peaceful slumber with a small smile playing on her lips.

* * *

**Haku's POV**

He watched as she slowly fell back to sleep. He could watch her for hours, that smile was something he'd walk over scalding hot nails for. He had missed it so much.

He was overcome with joy. She wasn't mad at him for taking so long to come for her. She had actually missed him. He grasped her small, fragile hand and placed a gentle kiss upon it. Very quietly, he whispered, "I love you, Chihiro Ogino." For the rest of the night, not once did he let go of her hand. He just watched as she slept peacefully.

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**Third POV**

A few hours later, around six o'clock in the morning, Chihiro began to stir. She felt a warm hand wrapped around her own and was very confused, but then the night's event slowly came back to her and she opened her eyes with a beaming smile across her face along with a small blush.

She looked up to the person she had been wishing for, for six years and couldn't get the ridiculous grin off her face, it's not like she wanted to either. She was happy, and she didn't want to hide it.

Haku looked down at Chihiro with affection and simply said, "Hi, there."

"Hi." Chihiro blushed again, realizing Haku's hand was still holding onto hers.

"How are you feeling?" Haku spoke with a gentle voice, filled with admiration.

"Really well, considering everything that happened. I'm not sure how I don't feel all the injuries I received last night?" She couldn't believe she was back in the Spirit World, with the person she loves and has missed deeply for the last six years.

"Zeniba and I healed most of them. There are still a few gashes, but you will heal completely, with only a few scars that I can fix over time."

"Really? Oh, thank you, Haku!" She launched herself at the spirit and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

Haku was not expecting the action so he was frozen for a split second before returning the hug gingerly. The only thing that was running through his mind was how much he loved this fragile and amazing girl.

They stayed like that for a good thirty seconds before both of them blushed and released the other slowly. They stared into each other's eyes before Haku found his voice and asked Chihiro if she was hungry.

"Maybe a little…"

"Well, I had some food for you, but that was late last night and you probably want some breakfast, so I'll send the other back and get you some breakfast." He smiled warmly at Chihiro.

"Oh, please, don't leave just yet. I've waited six years. Please don't leave me alone." Along with her words, Chihiro's eyes were wide and begging him not to leave. She didn't care if she hadn't eaten anything in two days; she just wanted him to be by her side. Plus, if she was left alone she would think about the horrible actions of her parents, and she didn't think she was ready to face that just yet.

"Don't worry, Chihiro. I don't have to leave to get you food," he waved his hand just a little bit and suddenly there was a steaming tray of breakfast sitting at the end of the bed. He laughed at the shocked expression on Chihiro's face and explained, "When you gave me my name back, all of my powers came back as well. You know, we River Gods can be quite powerful," he chuckled lightly as he watched Chihiro take in what he had just said.

"Oh." That was the only thing she could think of to say before hunger took over and she reached down to the end of the bed to grab the tray of food. Since she had been deprived of food for so long, her stomach couldn't handle much of it. She wished she could've eaten everything on the plate, it all smelled so delicious, but settled for two pieces of bacon and a biscuit, before leaning back and setting the tray to the side.

Haku, seeing that Chihiro had stopped eating, was worried. She was so skinny; he didn't see how she could possibly be full after only a small amount of food. It didn't make sense. "Chihiro, maybe you should try to eat a little more. It'll give you your energy back and make you stronger."

"I'm full, Haku. As much as I'd like to eat everything on that plate, my stomach can't hold anything else."

"Okay, but if you get hungry, all you have to do is ask and I will get you food immediately," even after Chihiro told him she was full, he wasn't convinced. He didn't want to see her waste away in front of him.

Chihiro mumbled her thanks shyly, and then got a good look at herself for the first time. She didn't have any of her old bruises or burns. The only cuts she could feel were the two on her abdomen and one behind her knee, the first three stabs her parents got in, and the deepest cuts. Then she realized she wasn't in the same clothes she was wearing and a blush stole across her cheeks.

"Haku, how did I get into these clothes?" she whispered as the blush got deeper.

Haku, noticing the bright red on her cheeks, just smiled softly and said "Zeniba and Lin changed your clothes. The others were covered in blood and ripped in many places. Don't worry, I wasn't in here when they did it."

Chihiro visibly relaxed, resting her shoulders and losing some of the embarrassment. Then she thought about what he had said and perked up with excitement and curiosity, "Oh, Granny! And Lin! How are they? They were here? Where did they go?"

Haku just chuckled, "They were here and they were very worried about you. They stayed until they knew you were going to be okay and then Lin went back to work and Zeniba went back to her cottage to check up on No-Face and Boh. They are both doing just fine. Lin is second in command, under me, and Zeniba is happy making tea and playing with Boh and No-Face every day."

"Wait. You're in charge of the bathhouse now? What happened to Yubaba?"

"Well, after you left, I went and had a little talk with her. Let's just say I got her to agree to let me run the bathhouse and she left."

"Why isn't Boh with her then? Why is he with Granny?"

"Yubaba wanted Boh to go with her, but he said he didn't like how mean she was, especially to you, so he wanted to go live with his Aunty Zeniba, who gladly took him in." Haku smiled lovingly just thinking about the giant baby he had grown so close to.

"And you said Lin is now second in command? Like a manager?"

"Yes, and she's doing well. She actually made me promise to inform her the second you woke up, so if I want to keep all of my body parts, I better do just that. I'll be back shortly, maybe along with Lin." Haku started to get up and walk towards the door when he heard Chihiro getting out of the bed, behind him.

"Chihiro, what are you doing? You should be lying down, and getting some rest. You've been through a lot, you need to gain your energy back." Chihiro acted as if she didn't hear him and lifted herself gingerly off of the bed.

"All my muscles are stiff from lying here so long. I want to walk around, and if you're going to see Lin, then I want to go too." She stated, just as stubborn as ever.

Haku knew he had no chance of winning this, but had to try anyways, "You need your rest if you're going to heal completely, Chihiro. Please, lie down, go back to sleep."

"Nope. Do you have any clothes I can wear? These aren't really what I would call presentable."

Haku sighed deeply and then walked over to his closet. He grabbed some of his work clothes, blue pants and a white shirt and handed them to Chihiro, "This is all I have. I know they'll be big, but once you put them on, I can shrink them to fit you properly."

"Thank you." Chihiro said brightly, knowing she had won, "I'll be right back," and then walked around until she found the bathroom and changed clothes. When she walked back out holding the blue pants up with one hand and the clothes she had changed out of in the other, she more closely examined the quarters. The walls and decorations all seemed so elegant and grandiose and she loved it. There was a lot of gold accenting, but the majority was decorated in a wonderful emerald that reminded her of Haku.

Haku waited patiently for Chihiro to return, while wondering what she was thinking, if she was going to stay… but mostly he was thinking about how she felt about him, did she love him as much as he loved her? He shook his head and thought _"How could a woman as wonderful as Chihiro ever love me?"_

After about five minutes, she returned, and he couldn't help but laugh as she struggled to hold up the much too big pants. She gave him a don't-mess-with-me look and he just laughed harder.

"Haku! Stop laughing at me and just make these fit, please!"

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, " He was still laughing as he performed the spell that shrunk the clothes to fit her slight figure. "Are you ready to go see everyone? They've all missed you."

"Really? They're not mad about the whole No-Face incident?"

"If I recall correctly, I believe you saved them from No-Face. They are all indebted to you."

"Oh. Well, then yeah, I'm ready! Let's go see them all!" With that, they walked out of the room with smiles on both of their faces, just happy to be together again.

Once they got to the elevator, it dawned on Chihiro that they were on the top floor. Yubaba's old floor. But it looked completely different. Everything was brighter and more inviting, no more darkness or fear hovering in the hallways. She could tell how much had changed since she had last been here and could tell it was for the better.

Haku looked down at Chihiro as he pulled the lever to go down to the 9th floor, where he heard Lin giving orders to one of the frogs she hated so much. Haku saw the smile playing around on Chihiro's face and his lips responded with a smile of their own. If she was happy, he would be too…

* * *

I promise everything will be more eventful from here on out!

And to JuliaAbadeerSkellington, I promise there will be more Lin and Chihiro bonding in the next chapter!

Keep on with the reviews. I really love reading what you have to say!


	4. Chapter 4: The Bathhouse

It feels like it has been forever but it's only been a few days! I'm sorry guys!

As usual, I would like to thank **JuliaAbadeerSkellington** for reviewing! I love having such a devoted reader.

Let me know how you all feel about this chapter! I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 4

Chihiro and Haku made their way down to the 24th floor of the bathhouse (apparently, Haku had been adding stories over the years until he was satisfied at 84), where Lin was currently yelling at the foreman for some unknown reason, probably for her enjoyment.

As they stood back, watching Lin, Chihiro started chuckling lightly to herself, noticing that her best friend and basically older sister had not changed a single bit and she loved it!

Haku looked down at the giggling girl and asked, "What are you laughing at, Chihiro?"

Before she could answer, Lin charged over to her best friend and pulled her into a tight hug. She was excited to have her 'sister' back, and yelled in Chihiro's ear, "Sen! I've missed you so much! What are you doing out of bed, you little dope? You should be resting after what happened," but made no move to release her.

Chihiro, who was now in pain from the suffocating embrace, started to struggle to breathe and fight through the pain of the few cuts still left on her body, but since she was still so weak and had no energy, Lin didn't notice. Only when Haku pushed Lin back with his brute strength did she realize Chihiro was gasping for air.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I was just so happy to see you, I didn't want to let go!"

Chihiro just smiled, still breathing a little hard, with Haku patting her back softly and asking her if she was okay. She eased both of the spirit's worries by telling them she was fine and then turning all of her attention towards Lin. She hugged her old roommate tightly, getting a gentle little pat on the back in return, "I've missed you too, Lin! I thought about you every day after I left, wishing you were still my roommate!"

"Wait, let me look at you," both girls pulled back so that they could get a good look at the other.

Lin didn't really want to bring up the skin and bones subject so she just stuck with, "You've gotten so much taller!" and it was true! Chihiro had grown taller since the last time they saw each other. Lin didn't know how it was possible for this fragile girl to grow at all when she was so malnourished but was glad that she was okay.

Having observed Lin for a long time, Chihiro finally concluded, "Wow, Lin, you haven't changed a single bit." She still had the waist length hair, tied at the bottom, and despite now being a manager rather than a worker, she was still wearing the same pink uniform. She didn't look like she had aged a single day, when Haku had grown so much. Chihiro was extremely confused, "How do you still look like you're in your twenties and the exact same as the last time I saw you, but Haku has grown up?"

Lin laughed as she responded, "Being a spirit does have its perks, Chihiro. Since we are immortal, we get to choose what age we appear to be. I personally love my twenty year old self so that's what I choose, when really I'm 482 years old."

Chihiro's jaw dropped. She was completely freaked out and astounded, stunned into silence, which just made Lin laugh harder.

"If you think that's old, you should ask your dragon exactly how old he is! He's been matching his looks with your age ever since you showed up at the bathhouse six years ago."

Chihiro looked around herself to try to find the dragon in question and saw him slowly backing away from the two girls, with a light blush dusting his cheeks, "I'm just going to give you two some time to catch up," and then he turned around and ran back towards the elevator, looking like a blur with his speed.

Lin laughed and told Chihiro the bathhouse was about to close and everyone was about to go to sleep, so they should probably do the same. Chihiro complied and started to walk towards the women's quarters when she was pulled by Lin, in the opposite direction. "Where are we going? I know I haven't been here in a while, but aren't the women's quarters the other way?"

"Yep, they are, you have a good memory, but being a manager gets a girl her own private quarters," Lin stated, throwing a wink back at Chihiro.

It turns out that Lin's quarters are right below Haku's, on the 83rd floor. Lin was complaining about Haku always hearing everything that went on in her room but started laughing when she saw Chihiro blushing once again, murmuring something about not wanting to talk about anything too personal.

Lin just laughed and said, "You want to hear about personal? Haku asked me to keep it down when I had males in my room! He said he's tired of having nightmares about the noises I make!" The comment just made Chihiro's blush get even deeper.

They made their way to the bedroom, where both of the girls plopped down onto the king size bed, just lying in comfortable silence, both content to be in each other's company again.

After a while, Lin turned her head towards Chihiro, about to ask her a question, but when she looked over, she found the little human sleeping soundly with a tiny smile across her face. Lin chuckled lightly and got up to change into pajamas, and turn out the light before covering Chihiro with a heavy blanket and laying on her side to go to sleep. She too fell asleep with a smile upon her lips, happy to have her best friend safe, and back in the Spirit World.

* * *

**Haku's POV**

After Lin had told Chihiro about spirit's aging, Haku got a little embarrassed, especially considering the way Chihiro acted when she found out Lin's age. If she had gotten freaked out by 482 years of age, what would she think about Haku's 2,848 years?

Haku ran up to his office, which was right next to his quarters, silently cursing Lin for bringing that up, even though he knew the topic would not be kept hidden forever.

For a few minutes, he just paced back and forth, just thinking about everything that has happened in the past 12 hours. A lot of it was hard for him to believe, the most unbelievable being Chihiro, his one and only love, returning to the spirit world, not even angry at the time it had taken him to fulfill his promise.

All of his thinking and pacing came to a halt when he heard two women's voices on the floor below his. He knew it was wrong but couldn't help but eavesdrop to see if they were talking about him.

He could imagine the beautiful blush creeping its way across Chihiro's face as she listened to Lin's stories about guys in her room and my remarks on the events. He chuckled lightly, remembering how mad and embarrassed Lin had been after that conversation, but he was fed up with his sleep getting interrupted by Lin all the way into the late morning and then having nightmares about the experience later.

He was disappointed to find they had nothing more to say about him. He was hoping to get some insight into how deep Chihiro's feelings were for him. He knew he loved her more than anything else in the worlds, but he felt selfish and scared.

Her humanity put a barrier between the two of them but that didn't matter as much to him as the fact that he really didn't understand how a girl as sweet, kind, and innocent as Chihiro could ever have feelings for a spirit such as himself. He needed to know how she felt about him, but he wouldn't press her about it.

After a few more minutes of brooding, and stressing, Haku worked on paperwork for about an hour before finally heading back to his quarters and going to sleep.

* * *

**Third POV**

The next night, when Chihiro woke up, she couldn't find Lin anywhere in her quarters so she just took a shower, and got dressed to go in search for either Lin or Haku. She was still in a lot of pain, and felt as if all of her energy had been drained from her, despite her many hours of sleep, so it was difficult for her to stay steady as she walked through the halls.

When she made her way down to the lower levels, where the baths were, she realized she had slept through the entire day and part of the night. It was already 11:30 and the bathhouse was extremely busy.

As she walked around in search of a familiar face, some of the workers noticed her and she was instantly crowded and overwhelmed. "Sen!", "Sen! We've missed you!", "Sen's back!" She had missed them all dearly but she just couldn't handle this many people at once and she started getting flashbacks of her parents ganging up on her.

She fell to the floor and clapped her hands over her ears, and closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out everything that was happening around her.

All of the workers surrounding her tried to help her, tried pulling her to her feet, which only caused her to scream for them to stop, and then yelling for someone to help her. The workers were beyond worried and a few started yelling, "Master Haku!", "Lin!" not realizing that Haku had heard his little human fall and start screaming and was now fighting his way down all the floors.

Haku had finally reached the 9th floor, and found Chihiro huddled on the floor crying and looking as if she wished she'd just disappear. He ran through the cluster of bathhouse workers telling them to get back to work and kneeled on the floor next to her. He reached his hand out to gently touch her shoulder, only to get a piercing scream from the terrified human, "STOP IT! STOP! STOP! STOP! LEAVE ME ALONE," tears were now covering her sweet face and Haku was heartbroken.

"Chihiro, it's me. It's Haku. Everything is fine; you have nothing to be scared of here. No one is going to hurt you."

Chihiro still had her hands clasped tightly over her ears but she heard a gentle murmuring somewhere very close to her, and that voice sounded so familiar and comforting that she slowly relaxed her body and very hesitantly opened her eyes and uncovered her ears.

She looked up wearily, to find Haku's very worried expression, with his green eyes silently asking if she was okay. She tried to stop her crying, only to cry harder. She covered her face and then felt herself being gently lifted from the floor. She hooked her arms around Haku's neck and sobbed into his shoulder, hiding her face from him.

All of the workers watched with confused, and worried expressions as their favorite human was carried away by their boss. They had no idea what had just happened.

Haku had taken Chihiro back up to his room and laid her carefully on his bed and went to fix her some tea and call for Zeniba, but Chihiro wasn't having that. She gripped his sleeve tightly and begged him not to leave her.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said softly as he sat next to her on his bed, and watched as she snuggled close to him, still crying. After a while, her tears began to subside so he gently asked, "What happened, Chihiro?"

"I don't know. I was trying to find you or Lin, and then all the workers converged on me and started yelling things. They weren't even mean things, they were really nice, but it made all of those memories of my parents come up and I had a few flashbacks and all I could see was my parents hitting me and yelling at me," she whispered all of this, trying to keep the rest of her tears at bay.

"You're safe now, Chihiro. No one here will ever harm you, they all love you. You have nothing to fear anymore."

"Thank you, Haku. I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't been there."

"I'll always be there for you. No matter what happens," he hugged her tenderly and they just laid there for a while, in a comfortable silence.

After 20 minutes, it was now 12:30, and Chihiro's stomach growled hungrily. Haku chuckled and asked her, "Do you want to eat up here or would you rather go down to the dining room?"

"Actually, I haven't seen Kamaji yet and I was hoping I could go visit him soon, so could we eat down in the boiler room?"

"Of course, he'll like that. Every time I've been around him in the last six years, all he talks about is his granddaughter," he laughed as he helped Chihiro out of the bed. Her legs were weak and she was stumbling over her feet a lot, so Haku offered to carry her, which Chihiro humbly refused.

They made their way to the boiler room slowly, but once they were there, Chihiro sat down on the floor, out of breath. The soot balls all came hopping over to her cheerfully and started jumping all over her until Kamaji yelled, "get back to work, you little mongrels! We don't have time for any breaks!"

"Same old grandpa….," Chihiro muttered, with a smirk on her face, just loud enough for Kamaji to hear. He turned around like lightning and yelled, "CHIHIRO, YOU'RE BACK!"

Chihiro ran over to the spider man and wrapped her arms around him as tight as she could (which wasn't really that tight) and he returned the hug happily, "I've missed you, Kamaji," she smiled as they released each other.

"I've missed you too, Chihiro. Oh my, you have grown to be quite a beautiful young woman, but you're way too skinny!"

"That's one reason Haku and I came down here. We were wondering if we could eat down here with you."

No one could deny this wonderful girl what she wanted, especially Kamaji considering he is her un-biological grandfather! "I would like nothing more."

That was the moment Lin made her way through the tiny sliding door with Kamaji's lunch, grumbling, "You better have left your bowl out this time, old man, I'm tired of telling you—" She stopped when she caught sight of Haku and Chihiro and said, "So you finally got out of bed, you dope? Some of the workers are worrying about you. What happened earlier?"

"I'd rather not talk about it," then, to steer the conversation to something lighter, she asked, "What's for lunch?"

Haku decided to speak up, finally, "What would you like? There's chicken, onigiri—"

"Onigiri sound great! I remember the last time I had it," she thought back to that moment in the gardens after Haku had taken her to see her parents pig pen, and smiled gingerly.

Haku was also reminiscing on her Chihiro's venture in the spirit world six years ago, "onigiri it is then," He waved his hand in the air and food for him and Chihiro appeared magically in front of them.

Chihiro turned to Lin, who was feeding the little soot balls their star food, "Lin, would you like to eat lunch with us?" the young human asked pleasantly.

"I'd love to, but I just ate and I have some baka frogs to go boss around, so we'll catch up later!" She then crawled out of the little door and left Chihiro with Kamaji and Haku, all eating silently.

Kamaji was the one to break the comfortable silence, "So, Haku, I assume that since Chihiro has returned, you'll quit being such a bitter hard-ass, sulking around here all day?" Leave it to Kamaji to be so straight forward.

Chihiro turned to the blushing dragon and cocked an eyebrow at him, to which he responded, "I was not sulking. I was being professional and separating business and personal matters," he stated rather petulantly.

"You weren't being mean were you, Haku?"

"No-"

Kamaji cut him off saying, "He wasn't mean, he just wanted to get the work done and focus all of his energy into work so he'd stop fretting about you, even though he worked his ass off to come and get you."

"Really? Is this true, Haku?" She was now blushing slightly, matching Haku's blush.

"Maybe,"

"That's sweet. Thank you very much." Chihiro said rather shyly.

They all ate in silence for another ten minutes, until Kamaji saw 4 bath tokens drop down and had to get back to work. Chihiro, who had barely eaten anything, much to Haku's displeasure, told Kamaji goodbye and promised to visit him as often as she could. Then, she and Haku made their way back upstairs, to Lin's quarters.

As much as he wanted to keep her by his side all day, he could see how tired she seemed to be and said, "You should probably take a nap, you look pretty worn out."

Chihiro really was exhausted but she felt like if she went to sleep, she would see her parents again, just like she had a few hours earlier, and so she said, "I'm not that tired. I'd rather look around the bathhouse for a while, see all the changes you've made."

"Chihiro, after what happened earlier, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Yes, I want to go see everyone and apologize for my behavior this morning," In all honesty, Chihiro didn't know if it was such a good idea but she knew she couldn't be alone right now, knowing what would go through her mind. She really wished she could've stayed with Haku all night but felt like that'd be a weird thing to ask.

"Okay then, but I'm going with you this time. I'd rather not see you like that again," Haku didn't want to let Chihiro out of his sigh.

Inside, Chihiro was jumping up and down, excited that she would get to spend time with her favorite dragon, but on the outside, she stayed calm and just smiled happily, saying, "That sounds cool. I'm glad I have someone who cares so much, I've never had that before, unless you count Ryou," she quickly covered her mouth, as if she had something she wasn't supposed to, and then felt her cheeks heating up and knew they had to be tomato red.

Haku's heart broke a little, hearing what she had said about no one caring about her before. He didn't understand how someone could harm this precious girl. He hated her parents for what they had done to her and wished them to be dead. Then, he processed the rest of what she had said and noticed the bright coloring across her cheeks, "Who is Ryou?" he was a little jealous, wondering if it was some human who had stolen Chihiro's heart.

"No one!" She yelled quickly, which only piqued Haku's curiosity.

"If they're no one, then why are you blushing right now?"

"I'm not," she lied automatically and then began walking towards the elevator.

He followed and would not let the subject go, "Did you fall in love with someone in the Human World, Chihiro?" he asked this softly, with hurt in his eyes.

Chihiro saw the hurt in his eyes and heard it in his voice, and turned around to face him, "no, I didn't have anyone in the Human World. I never had friends because they all saw me as the bony freak, besides, the only people I needed were here."

Haku knew she still hadn't told him who Ryou was, but her words were enough to make him stop questioning. He walked over to her and engulfed her in a affectionate hug, in which she returned gratefully. She loved being in his arms, though she would never tell him that.

Soon, they let each other go and walked into the elevator, where Chihiro started to think out loud, "I haven't even been calling you by your real name, Hak- I mean Kohaku."

"Haku is a part of me now. That's what everyone calls me, even when they know my real name, it doesn't matter really."

"What would you prefer to be called?"

"I like whatever you feel comfortable with," he smiled down at her and rubbed her back. She still looked like she would fall over any second.

"I like your real name, but Haku is much easier and it's who you were when you saved me from Yubaba," she looked back up at him shyly.

They got out of the elevator on the first floor. Many workers bowed to Haku and then they noticed Chihiro and started to converge on her before Haku commanded that they get back to work. Chihiro told them all "hi" and then scooted behind Haku as he led her outside.

They had just made it out the front door when Haku turned Chihiro around so that they could look at the bathhouse. She was astounded by how tall it had become. It was still a big red, elaborate building, but it was taller than any building she had ever seen before, "This is the only major change I made, other than the contract-free jobs," Haku muttered.

"It's huge but it still looks amazing."

"Thank you. Now, that you've seen the not so interesting changes, what would you like to do?"

"Don't you have work you need to do, _Master _Haku?" she asked blinking up at him innocently.

"I do, but I really don't want to leave you alone again," it was more like he didn't want to leave her at all. He wanted her with him.

"I want to watch the powerful bathhouse owner at work!" She was excited to see him at work, and not have to leave him.

"Well okay then. Why don't we just go back to my office then?"

"Sounds good to me," Chihiro started to walk back inside the bathhouse when she felt her arm being pulled back by Haku. When she turned back around, he was looking at her with excitement and asked, "don't you want to get back up there the fun way?"

"And which way would that be, Haku?"

He joyfully showed her what he meant by turning into a beautiful white dragon with an aquamarine mane, that had starred in the human's dreams almost every night for the past six years.

He looked at her and then looked meaningfully at his back, silently telling her to get on.

She didn't hesitate. She jumped on and grabbed the dragon's horn before he took off up the side of the bathhouse, only to keep going once he reached the roof. He turned and just kept flying around, not wanting this moment to end.

"Haku, what are you doing? I thought we were going back to your office," Chihiro yelled to him, but it was only halfhearted. She was having a blast!

They flew around the bathhouse and over the blue sea surrounding it for about an hour before Haku finally made it back to his office. He landed and waited for Chihiro to get off before shifting back to his human form and smiling widely at her, "I haven't had that much fun flying in years. It must have been because you were with me."

"I can't argue with that," she said, blushing.

"Well, I hate to ruin the moment but I really do have to work now," he started walking over to the big desk to the side of the medium sized room. On his way he conjured a couch and sat it against the opposite wall of his desk, "if you would like to stay, you can use that couch to sit on."

"Thanks! I'd love that. I'm kind of worn out now," she said, almost dragging her fatigued body to the comfortable looking couch. She laid down and watched Haku as he signed a bunch of papers for a while before drifting off to sleep.

Haku heard Chihiro's breathing become even and soft and looked up to see her sleeping soundly. He went over and picked her up to carry her back to his quarters. He laid her down on his bed and then kissed her forehead, before returning to his office to finish his paperwork.

Unknown to Haku, someone was standing on the balcony of his bedroom, watching as the defenseless human girl was left sleeping, alone…

* * *

Again, thank you all so much for reading! I'm going to keep working hard on this story!

I would love it if you all would review some more! I'd love the feedback :)

I would also love any suggestions you all have as to what should come next or further along in the story.


	5. Chapter 5: Royal Poison

I feel like I rushed this one, so I hope it's good!

Thanks to **JuliaAbadeerSkellington, GoldenHairedProngslet, and ulquihime7980 **for reviewing the last chapter! I love reading what you have to say!

By the way, I have over 400 views! I'm super excited! I just need more reviews, please! :)

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Chapter 5

Chihiro woke up at 5:00 in the morning a little disoriented. It took her a moment to figure out she was in Haku's bed, but she had no memory of how she got there.

She had a pressing need to pee so she jumped out of bed and ran in the direction of the bathroom to relieve herself. Afterwards, she skipped towards the door to Haku's quarters to go find said dragon, only to slam right into him as they both rounded a corner.

Chihiro, in her fragile and weak state, fell backwards and hit her head on the corner of the wall, "Ow."

Haku, being the strong dragon with quick reflexes, held his ground and then swooped down to help Chihiro off the floor, only to see her head was bleeding, _"Well, damn, I've got my work cut out for me. She's so accident prone, protecting her will be almost impossible. But I will do it. No matter what," _Haku thought with an adoring tone.

Haku took her into his kitchen and set her on the counter. He waved his hand over her head, murmuring a spell to heal the wound. A minute later, the injury was healed and all signs of blood were gone.

Chihiro stared up at the mesmerizing River God and after a minute, she realized she was staring rather blatantly and started quickly stammering an apology, "I'm sorry, I'm such a klutz! I should have been paying attention to where I was going…" her face was beet red.

Haku just laughed and hugged her close to him, "Stop apologizing. I should've been looking too; I just didn't know you were awake. Are you hungry?"

"Not really, no," she pulled out of Haku's embrace and looked up into his emerald eyes, "Did I fall asleep watching you work?"

"Yes, you did. I brought you back here so I didn't have to find Lin to get into her quarters. Are you sure you're not hungry? You are still unhealthily skinny…"

"I'm sure. I had a big lunch, but thank you, it seems like you're always taking care of me," she whispered.

"I like taking care of you…" he murmured in reply. Both of them were now blushing a deep scarlet, staring into each other's eyes.

They were eventually broken out of their bubble when someone started banging on the door yelling, "OPEN UP DRAGON BOY! I NEED TO SPEAK WITH YOU!"

"Lin," Haku and Chihiro said in unison as Haku magically opened the door for the very persistent spirit.

"What is it, Lin?" Haku asked, slightly annoyed that she was interrupting his time with Chihiro.

"There's something going on. A bunch of the workers have become ill all of the sudden and we can't figure out why. They're throwing up, and fainting all over the place; it's like they were poisoned."

"Shit. Who could've done this?" Chihiro was surprised at Haku's expletive, considering he's usually so in control, but quickly hid the shock in order to focus on the spirit's conversation.

"I don't know, but what are we going to do? We have to figure this—" Lin was rambling in a slight panic before Haku cut her off.

"Lin, can you just calm down and be quiet for like two seconds of your life, please?" Haku was using his sensitive senses to see if he could pick anything strange up from the bathhouse. After about a minute of searching, Haku felt a very great and powerful aura in the vicinity of the building but something was blocking him out, as if the person knew the extent of his senses and powers. Haku could not pinpoint the location of the power and it went as suddenly as it had come, it was gone before he could do anything, but the powerful aura felt familiar to him.

"Someone was here. Someone very powerful, but I don't know who. Let's go downstairs and see what's going on," Haku was frustrated that someone could get in and poison his workers without getting caught but he was more frustrated with himself for not paying better attention and for not being able to figure out who the powerful aura was emanating from.

The three of them began walking briskly down the hallway towards the elevator and rode down to the first floor. The whole time, Haku had been giving orders for Lin to go down to Kamaji and find herbs that could cure the poisoning. He told her to describe the symptoms to the boiler man and he should know what to give her.

Haku was on overdrive. He was trying to find the source of the poisoning and get rid of it before any more workers could get poisoned, while also thinking of who could've does this to his bathhouse and overall trying to keep Chihiro away from anything that could possibly pass the poison onto her.

Chihiro, unlike Haku, had a very maternal and sympathizing side and whenever she saw a spirit puke or faint, she would run over to them and try to help, only to be dragged back by a very concerned Haku. He didn't want her that close to anyone sick. She was a human and that poison could very well kill her.

"Haku! They need help! I can't just stand by and watch them keel over," Chihiro yelled petulantly.

"I understand that, Chihiro, but that poison that they have in their system will not kill them. You, on the other hand, would probably die within hours of receiving the poison. In fact, you shouldn't even be down here right now. You need to go to Zeniba's cottage and wait for me to come get you," Haku stated and before Chihiro could say another word, he transported her to her Granny's house in Swamp Bottom.

* * *

Chihiro felt a weird sensation all of the sudden and then before she knew it, she was standing in front of her Granny's little cottage. She was confused as to how she got there but soon realized it was probably Haku and his stupid magic. She cursed him under her breath and then knocked lightly on Granny's door.

To her surprise, No-Face was the one to open the door. He yelled out a lot of "Ah" sounds joyfully before gripping her in a death hug. She winced in pain and he let go to look at her, a little confused.

"I'm fine, I'm just a little sore. Is Granny here, and Boh?"

"Ah" was the only response she got before she saw the large bun that belonged to her amazing Granny. Chihiro ran over to the short, but large woman and hugged her tightly.

* * *

Back at the bathhouse, Haku was on his way to the kitchen to see if the poison was somehow in the food. He made it as far as the dining room when he saw it.

There, in a bright aquamarine color on the wall, was a symbol he knew well. He had not seen it in over 900 years, and was hoping to never see it again. His family crest, four dragons, one for each element, wrapped around the earth.

Haku became infuriated and then knew exactly what had happened and where the poison had come from. He had used the same spell before when he escaped the close confines of his family 1,000 years ago.

He stormed into the kitchen and searched for the ingredient that resembled wasabi. He found it in the hand of one of his chefs, about to be combined into another dish. He snatched it away and asked, "Who gave this to you?"

The chef bowed and looked to his master, confused, "Master Haku, It came with the new shipment of food today, with all of the other ingredients we ordered last week."

"Okay, well from this point on, you are to avoid putting any wasabi into any of the food, no matter what. Even if our customers request it, tell them we are currently out, or make up something."

"Sir, excuse me for asking, but it something wrong?"

"I don't think the wasabi is what it appears to be. I believe this is a very complex poison that is consumed and makes the person very ill for a week's time."

"Master Haku, does this poison have the potential to kill?" The chef was now shaking and had a scared look in his eyes.

"Only humans," Haku paused as he realized that Chihiro is the only human in the spirit world, so the poison had to be meant for her, and then continued on to ease the chef's worries, "it brings no harm to spirits other than making them ill."

_"Why would my family want to harm Chihiro? What has she ever done to them? I don't know but I will find out." _Haku was thinking with a vengeance, when Lin came to him, juggling a bunch of tiny viles with a clear liquid in them.

"Kamaji said this should cure them, based on the symptoms, but he wasn't sure. Have you figured anything out? Oh, and what's that big painted thing on the wall of the dining room? Wait, where is Chihiro?"

"Lin, slow down. First, we need to distribute these to all of the workers, even if they are not sick yet, they could get the poison. After that, I will explain everything I know," Haku said before taking half if the bottles from Lin and saying, "I'll start at the top of the building and work my way down. You start from the bottom and go up. We'll meet in the middle. Now go, and hurry!"

* * *

Chihiro was sitting in Boh's room at Zeniba's cottage, still angry at Hkau for sending her there without warning. Sure, she loved getting to reconnect with No-Face, Boh, and Granny, but she was worried about everyone at the bathhouse.

"Sen, play with me, please! I've missed you. We have 6 years' worth of playing to make up for," Boh said, trying to win back Chihiro's attention. They had tried to explain to him that her real name was not Sen but he said he liked it better so that's what he would call her.

Chihiro returned her focus to the giant baby, who had a bundle of blocks in his arms, "I'm sorry, Boh. I'm just worried about the bathhouse. Everyone was just so sick. I wish I could help."

"Well, Mister Haku told you to wait for him to come get you, so why don't you play to distract yourself."

"I'm really sorry, Boh, I just don't think I can play right now. I promise I will play with you sometime, just not right now," the giant baby began to cry before Chihiro said, "Boh, I really love playing with you, it's just not a good time right now," then she hugged him tightly until his crying started to slow.

"Okay, but next time we have to play extra long."

"I promise we will," Chihiro said before leaving to go find somewhere quiet to think. After searching for five minutes, she ran into Zeniba who magically added a guest room to her small cottage and told Chihiro that could be her room. Chihiro hugged Granny and ran to the cozy room conjured just for her. She laid down on the bed to think, but soon found herself drifting off to sleep, dreaming about magnificent dragons and bad poisons.

* * *

Haku and Lin had finally distributed the cure to all of their workers and destroyed all traces of the poison and anything that resembled it. They were now talking about what Haku had discovered when they had parted.

"So, you think it was someone in your family who did this?" Lin was very confused with everything Haku had just told her.

"Yes, and the poison they used is usually only created for two reasons, either to kill humans or to torture spirits. Since they didn't stay behind to watch the workers become ill and torture them, I'm assuming they were aiming it at the only human here; Chihiro, they want her dead, I just don't know why."

"Haku, how do you know so much about the poison?"

"I've used it before, about 1,000 years ago," Haku looked down, a little ashamed.

Lin was shocked, she knew Haku had done some bad things when he was under Yubaba's control but she didn't think Haku was a bad person before he was put under the old witch's control, "Why would you do that? It seems so cynical."

"I had to get away from my family. They were so controlling and I just couldn't handle it anymore. There was no other way."

"You used this on your family? What did they do that was so horrible that you had to be so cruel?"

"Lin, there's one thing you don't understand about me and my family. My father is the God of the Earth, and my mother is the Goddess of the Skies. I have a sister who is the Spirit or Goddess of Fire and technically I am not just a spirit of the Kohaku River, I am the God of the Seas. Together we make up the four elements. Together we are the royal family. My parents are the King and Queen of the Spirit World, and I was expected to take the throne, but I refused it and my parents became more controlling, so I had to find a way to leave, and that poison was the only way out."

Lin was stunned into silence. She had no idea how to respond, especially since Haku had never been this open with anyone. He had always been so closed off, he was hard to talk to.

"Anyways, I have to figure out why they are doing this, but if I know my family, they'll wait to see what our reaction is before they go any further. They could wait weeks or months before they try anything else and if we try to retaliate, it could only get worse, so for now, we keep Chihiro under protection at all times and wait to see if my family does anything else," Haku hated not being able to do anything, especially since it could put the one he loves in danger, but he had no other choice.

"So, we're supposed to just sit around and wait, putting Chihiro in danger?" Lin was outraged.

"As much as I hate it, yes, that is what we have to do for now. We have more to discuss but I promised Chihiro I'd get her from Zeniba's when everything here was settled and safe, so we'll talk more upon my return," Haku got up and flew out of the window of his quarters.

* * *

Chihiro had been asleep for about 2 hours before she felt herself being awoken by someone. She opened her eyes and turned over to face Haku.

"Hi, I'm glad you got some rest. You needed it," Haku said, smiling down at her gently.

"Hi, how is everyone back at the bathhouse?"

"They're fine, a little shaken about the whole situation but they'll get over it. Are you ready to come back?"

"Yep, just let me say goodbye to everyone here," Chihiro got up and walked towards the kitchen with Haku right behind her. They saw Zeniba and No-Face brewing tea and talking quietly, seemingly oblivious to their guests behind them.

Haku cleared his throat to get the spirit's attention before saying, "Thank you for taking care of Chihiro while everything was amiss at the bathhouse, I appreciate it greatly," he bowed.

"It was my pleasure, Haku! I love having my granddaughter around. She kept Boh busy and I got some work done," then speaking to Chihiro, "I'd love for you to come over more often, sweetheart, you are and amazing granddaughter, even when you're worrying about that old bathhouse."

"Aw, Granny! I'll come over as often as I can. You're the best!" Chihiro ran over to hug her grandmother before telling her goodbye. She asked where Boh was and learned that he was sleeping so when she gave No-Face a hug and told him bye she told him to tell Boh goodbye for her.

Haku said his own goodbye before walking outside and turning into his dragon form. Chihiro jumped on, waved goodbye to the people who were like a family to her and then grabbed onto Haku's horns.

They flew back to the bathhouse in silence and returned in about 20 minutes. They landed in Haku's quarters and Chihiro hopped off and stumbled a little before she was caught by Haku, in his human form. Chihiro blushed and said, "I'm such a klutz, sorry."

"No need to apologize, I'm used to it," He smiled and hugged her close.

"Haku, do you know who poisoned the workers, or why they did it?"

Haku sighed and sat them both down on his couch. He then began to explain everything once again, even down to his royal status and what he did to get away from his family, but leaving out the part about how he thinks someone is coming after Chihiro.

Once he was finished, Chihiro was silent, trying to process everything he had just told her, _"How could Haku be royalty? I mean, he is elegant and pristine but I just don't understand." _Chihiro was more than overwhelmed. She had a lot to learn about the Spirit World, "Are they doing this to get back at you for doing it to them?"

Haku felt bad for not telling Chihiro about the poison being aimed at her but didn't know how to tell her without hurting her. He began, "Chihiro, I believe whoever in my family did this is actually—"

He was interrupted by someone knocking on his door and for once, he was grateful. Instead of simply using his magic, he got up and walked over to the door to open it. There, he found Lin who walked in without invitation to walk over to her favorite little human and give her a hug, "How are you doing with all of this, you dope?"

Chihiro was confused. None of this seemed that bad, and Lin seemed to be more worried about Chihiro than Haku even though, in Chihiro's mind, Haku was the one being endangered, "I'm fine, Lin. Just a little worried about Haku and everyone else."

Lin turned around to face a guilty Haku, "You didn't tell her, did you?"

"Not exactly… I was about to when you knocked, I couldn't find the right words," He looked down at his feet, ashamed.

"You have to tell her. It doesn't matter if it scares her; she needs to know so she can watch out for herself."

That's when Chihiro started to get more confused and a little angry that they were talking about her as if she wasn't there, "Stop talking about me like I'm not even here! Haku, what did you not tell me? And don't leave anything out, please. I don't care if it'll scare me or not, I've lived in fear of my parents for the last six years, I can handle this."

Haku was surprised and he felt even guiltier when she brought up her fear of her parents but conceded to telling her, "Chihiro, I believe that whoever did this, is after you and wants you dead."

Chihiro was shocked once again but managed to whisper, "Why? What did I ever do to them?"

Haku looked pained, it was difficult for him to talk but he also managed a whisper that turned menacing with his anger, "I don't know, Chihiro, but I will find out, no matter what."

Chihiro ran over to where Haku was standing and threw her arms around him, sobbing into his chest. She felt his arms wrap around her tightly saying "I'm so sorry" over and over again.

After a minute if them hugging and Chihiro crying, Lin cleared her throat to show that she was still there, "Excuse me, but don't we still have much to discuss?"

Haku and Chihiro pulled apart quickly, blushing, and Haku said, "Oh, yes, sorry Lin."

"Whatever, Dragon, just stay focused on the situation at hand, please," Lin rolled her eyes and continued, "Now, what are we supposed to do?"

"Lin, I told you earlier, we have to wait for their next move. Usually when they set their sights on something, they attack and then they try to compromise, so for now, we wait for their compromise."

Chihiro was confused once again, "Someone is after me, and we're going to do nothing?"

"Not nothing, Chihiro, from now on, you will have someone with you at all times, whether it is me, Lin, Kamaji, or someone I assign to guard you, you will be protected," Haku said gently yet assertively.

Chihiro was upset with that idea. She liked her alone time, hell, it was her alone time in the Human world that helped her survive. How would she survive this? "Haku, isn't there another way? I don't like the idea of being followed around all day. That'll just make me a nuisance."

Lin butted in then and said, "You little dope, we just want you safe! Nobody here could stand it if you were harmed in any way!"

Haku pretty much ignored the other spirit and said, "You will never be a nuisance. I just want you safe."

"Then put a protection spell on me or something! I don't want to be guarded all day, with no time to myself!" Chihiro was losing her temper now and Haku knew it. He was caught off-guard by her outburst.

"Chihiro, please, calm down. I'm only trying to protect you."

"I know you are, but please, just find another way," Chihiro looked desolate and lost and Haku was angry with himself for causing it.

He thought about it for a moment before remembering something Zeniba had said, "There may be something else that will protect you. Zeniba told me that the hairband that she and your friends wove for you has a very powerful protection spell on it, one of the most potent spells she has ever cast. If she and I could make sure that the spell is still in place and still strong, you may be safe."

"Oh, Haku, that would be great! Can we please do it that way?" She had so much hope in her eyes, there was no way Haku could refuse her.

"Of course, but for now, we should all get some rest, it's been a long day and it's already 10 in the morning. We'll go to Zeniba's first thing tomorrow."

"Okay, Lin am I still sleeping in your quarters?"

"Of course you are!" Lin went over and threw her arm over the human's shoulders and lead her to the door saying, "Goodnight, Dragon."

Chihiro stopped and looked back towards Haku, "Goodnight," she said quietly before walking out the door with Lin. They made it down to Lin's quarters and were asleep almost instantly.

Haku, on the other hand, was having trouble going to sleep, wrestling with himself over everything that had happened in the past few hours. Eventually he drifted off to an uneasy sleep and dreamed of bad things happening.

* * *

Thanks for reading!

I would love for more reviews to come in, so please review!

I love reading what you all have to say and I love suggestions for my writing, so say what you want, please!


	6. Chapter 6: Linking and Playing

I'm sorry this is a little late! The last week ahs been a little crazy!

Thanks again to **JuliaAbadeerSkellington **for review the last chapter!

Please read and review! I love your comments and feedback!

* * *

Chapter 6

The next day, Chihiro was woken by a gentle knock on Lin's door, and Lin was nowhere in sight. She grumbled to herself before yelling agitatedly for the knocker to come in. She laid her head back down and closed her eyes while she waited for the guest to find her.

About a minute of looking around Lin's quarters, Haku found the small human curled up on the bed in Lin's room, asleep. He chuckled to himself as he watched her sleep peacefully, _"She's so beautiful when she's asleep. Just one more thing to love about her; I wish there was a way she could feel the same…", _Haku thought before walking over to the girl and rubbing her arm gently and cooing her name to rouse her from her slumber.

Chihiro grumbled and pulled away from the dragon's touch, petulantly. Haku laughed and just continued his attempt to wake her and was surprised when the small, innocent, human groaned and said, "get the hell outta my room, I'm sleeping," he laughed, though.

"Chihiro, don't you want to go visit Zeniba, again? If not I can just go without you," he said playfully, "I mean, I thought you wanted to have a strong protection spell on you so that you wouldn't have to be continually guarded," she still didn't wake up so he kept on with his tactics, "I guess I'll just have to play with Boh and hang out with No-Face all by myself, and eat all of Zeniba's wonderful cookies and drink all of that heavenly tea, all by myself."

Chihiro knew the annoying dragon wouldn't give up so she rolled over in the bed and gave him a very pissed off look, which he laughed at, and then shoved off the blankets, got out of bed, and stalked towards the bathroom, grumbling about, "stupid, annoying, dragon won't let me sleep. Maybe he'll fall out of the sky next time he goes for a fly. Maybe he should've eaten some of that 'wasabi' yesterday," knowing he could hear every word she was saying. She heard him chuckle to himself and rolled her eyes.

Haku waited a few minutes before Chihiro emerged from the bathroom, teeth and hair brushed, clothes changed, and a slightly less pissed off look on her usually cheerful face.

"Let's go to Zeniba's," Chihiro said with faux enthusiasm.

"I thought you'd be more excited about going to see your Granny."

"I would be happier if I could have slept for another hour, what time is it anyway?"

"It's five o'clock; you've had about seven hours of sleep. How long do humans need to sleep?" Haku realized he never even considered human's differing sleep patterns.

"Well, we need 8 hours of sleep but it's nice to sleep for longer especially when you're like me and are injured and malnourished."

"I'm sorry for waking you so early. Spirits only need about 5 hours of sleep per night so I didn't think… Anyways, if you'd like, you can go back to sleep and we can go a little later," Haku said a little guiltily.

Chihiro saw Haku's guilt and felt bad for acting so mean, "No, Haku, it's fine. I'm already awake anyways; I won't be able to go back to sleep now. I'll be fine, I'll just take a nap when we get back," she gave him an encouraging smile and went over to sit beside him on the bed.

"You can sleep on the way there, too, if you'd like, I'll make sure you don't fall off," and then to lighten the mood he said, "let's just hope I don't fall out of the sky. Apparently someone wished that upon me," he winked at her.

Chihiro blushed and said in a small voice, "Sorry 'bout that; I'm not much of a morning person."

Haku was thinking that the blush on Chihiro's face was probably the cutest thing he'd ever seen when he said, "That's quite alright, Chihiro. Are you ready to go?"

"Yep, are we flying?"

The dragon's eyes flashed with excitement as he said, "Is there any other way?"

Chihiro giggled at the childish excitement on Haku's face and just said, "Let's go!" excitedly.

Haku shifted to his dragon form and looked at the small human, indicating for her to climb on, which she did very eagerly. Haku felt her grab his horns and gently weave her fingers through his mane before he walked out onto the balcony and flew into the sky.

Chihiro rode on the silver dragon, grasping the aquamarine mane tightly, with a huge smile on her face. They rode in silence most of the time but Haku couldn't stand the silence, _"Are you having fun?"_

He could have sworn Chihiro jumped six feet off of the dragon, shocked at hearing him in her head and he started laughing, which, to Chihiro, sounded like a playful growl, "How the heck did that just happen?"

_"Just one of the perks of being a powerful, magical, royal dragon."_

"Oh, well, yes, I am having fun. I love flying through the sky. I t makes me feel like nothing bad can happen and no one can touch me," Chihiro sighed, thinking of her parents.

Haku felt ecstatic; he loved that he made her feel safe, _"I'm glad you're enjoying it. And Chihiro?"_

"Yes, Haku?"

_"Nothing bad will ever happen to you. I vow that to you; I will always protect you."_

Chihiro was surprised at his promise and it made her blush shyly, "Thank you, Haku. I would like nothing more."

They landed in front of the old witch's cottage about 20 minutes later. Chihiro bounded off of the dragon and quickly realized her legs were asleep when she stumbled and suddenly saw the ground coming towards her face before she felt strong arms wrap around her and lift her up.

Chihiro looked up into the smoldering eyes of Haku and started blushing furiously, as she was till resting in his arms. They stayed like that, staring at each other for a minute before they heard a familiar cackling coming from the cottage. They looked over to see Zeniba, staring at them with a gleam in her big eyes.

Haku set Chihiro down instantly and they both backed away from each other a little, blushing like crazy.

"Do you all want some tea and cookies or are you going to stand out here blushing like lovebirds all day?" The old witch joked.

Haku and Chihiro quickly walked towards the small cottage and made their way to the table in the middle of the room before sitting down across from each other, avoiding the other's gaze.

"So, what did you two come here for? I'm guessing you weren't just out for a nice flight…" Zeniba wondered.

Haku went straight down to business, explaining everything he had discovered yesterday and ended his story with, "Chihiro is being stubborn and doesn't want to be guarded all day so I was wondering if you could help me strengthen that protection spell you put on her six years ago and then add another."

Chihiro looked at Haku, very aggravated at his choice of words, "I am NOT stubborn. If it were you, would you want to be followed around everywhere you go? Even when you fly?"

"Well… no. But I want you safe Chihiro."

"That's why we're here, Haku! So you and Granny can protect me without me having to be stalked!"

"It wouldn't be stalking, it would be protecting!"

They glared at each other for another minute until Zeniba cut in and said, "Enough of all this bickering, already. Let's get started on the protective enchantments, shall we?"

They talked for hours about what would be strongest and then got to work. First, they worked on making the spell on Chihiro's hair tie stronger and then put a spell on her body to reject anything poisonous. After that, Chihiro noticed Haku and Zeniba staring at each other, seeming to have a conversation through their minds.

_"You know she needs the spell that alerts someone if she is in danger," _Zeniba thought towards Haku.

_"And you know what that particular spell would entail," _Haku thought back rather bitterly.

The dragon's tone didn't face Zeniba at all, _"Haku, what matters more: Chihiro's safety or your dignity?"_

Haku sighed, _"At least explain it to her first and see what she thinks about it. It's up to her I guess."_

The dragon and witch turned away from each other, only to find Chihiro staring at them quizzically, "Did you all just have a conversation?"

Zeniba spoke before Haku had the chance, "Yes, we did and it was regarding a spell I would like to cast upon you. Haku isn't sure about it but said to ask you so, what I would like to do is link the two of you so that if you were ever in danger, Haku would know and be able to locate you easily."

"That sounds reasonable enough to me. Why are you not sure about it, Haku?" Chihiro looked to the dragon across the room and saw that he had a shy look on his face.

"That old witch didn't explain everything to you that would come with the spell. Why don't you continue, you old crone?"

"Now, Haku, I know it's hard for you, but be polite and respect your elders," Zeniba watched as Haku huffed in annoyance and then continued, "What Haku is weary about, my dear, is the fact that with the two of you linked, Haku will not only be able to sense when you are in danger, but will sense every emotion you experience and you will be able to sense all of his. Oh, and you'll be able to talk to each other telepathically from far distances. It's not like reading each other's minds because the other person can only see what you let them but you can still communicate with ease, like Haku and I do but without using magic."

Chihiro suddenly wasn't so sure of the spell. If there was a link between her and Haku, would he be able to sense how in love she was with him?

Zeniba could see that Chihiro was disengaged and said, "Chihiro, the only thing we want is for you to be safe, no matter what that entails."

Chihiro thought it over for a few more minutes before she made her final decision, "Do it."

"Are you sure, Chihiro? You know, you can't change your mind. The spell cannot be undone," Haku said. He was worrying about Chihiro being able to feel what he was feeling.

"I'm positive. What do I have to do?"

Zeniba was overjoyed, "Fist, I have to put a spell on a cup of water and then you and Haku have to take a small sip of it to create the link."

"It's really that simple?" Chihiro asked, stunned.

"Yes, and it's rather common here in the spirit world," Zeniba informed the human as she rummaged through her kitchen, looking for a wine glass to put the water in.

"Oh, why is it so common? Is there a lot of danger or something?"

"Not really. It's just common because the spell is usually casted upon mated couples on the day of their mating."

Chihiro blushed and looked to the floor, a little mortified that she was about to be connected to Haku as if she was mating with him.

"Chihiro, don't worry so much. It's just for your protection," Haku had walked across the room and was now standing directly in front of the fragile human, running his long fingers down her small face.

While Haku and Chihiro were in their own little world, Zeniba had found the wine glass she was looking for, filled it with water, and cast the spell. She walked over to the oblivious people in her cottage and shoved the glass between them and ordered them to sip.

Chihiro and Haku were once again startled apart by Zeniba and both made a quick grab for the cup she held in order to break the awkwardness, only to cause more awkwardness as their hands ended up holding each other and the cup. Seeing how Haku's hand had grabbed the glass first, Chihiro quickly released her hand and back away with a blush creeping across her cheeks.

Haku took a small sip of the liquid that surprisingly had no taste and handed the glass to Chihiro. She, too, took a small sip of the liquid and then set the glass down on the table next to the, "Am I supposed to feel differently?"

"Not really, no, but let's test it out," Zeniba said, "Chihiro, think of something that evokes strong feelings, whether it is hate, sadness, happiness, anything."

Chihiro thought about it for a moment and then decided on one of her few happy memories. It was the memory of her and Haku, six years ago, when he promised her they would see each other again, she closed her eyes and focused on that, letting herself get consumed with the joy of the past.

Haku suddenly felt different, like a wonderful happiness had taken over a piece of him. He couldn't quite figure it out at first but soon realized that it was coming from Chihiro. The feeling relaxed him and he soon found himself wondering what she was thinking about… and one part of him was hoping it was a thought of him that brought that much happiness to the human, "I feel complete happiness emanating from you, Chihiro. What are you thinking about?"

Chihiro blushed a little before telling the curious man in front of her, "I was just thinking about the promise you made me six years ago, when I left to go home, and how you didn't break it even after six years."

"Now I understand your happiness. By the way, not breaking that promise is probably the best thing I've ever done," he smiled down at her with admiration; the new connection between the two seemed to have heightened their feelings towards each other.

"Now, try to talk to each other in your minds," Zeniba said happily.

_"Haku?" _Chihiro thought timidly.

She watched as Haku smiled and then heard his voice in her head, _"It's not much different from when we're flying, is it?"_

_"Is it any different?"_

_"It's basically the same except for I don't have to say a spell before I do it," _He smiled again before speaking out loud, "It works!"

"Well, now that everything has been taken care of," Zeniba interjected, "have you come up with a plan for what you'll do if your family strikes again, Haku?"

"Not exactly; I know my family and I'm not expecting another attack any time soon, so I didn't think to make such a plan."

This surprised Zeniba, especially since she knows how much Haku loves her 'granddaughter'. She thought he would have been planning and plotting as soon as he figured out what was happening, "Haku, you haven't seen your family in a very long time, and things change. For all you know, the next attack could happen the second you walk back into the bathhouse later, be prepared."

"I never thought about that. My family was always the type that avoided change but it has been over 1,000 years…" Haku was concerned with his lack of thought he'd put into protecting the girl he loved, "With this new link between Chihiro and myself, I shouldn't need another plan, especially now that she has a spell upon her that rejects any poison around her."

"You may be right about that, Haku, but you should at least go to your family and find out why all of this is happening," Zeniba was adamant on keeping her only granddaughter safe.

Haku was suddenly more worried than before. He hadn't seen his family in a very long time and on top of that, he hadn't left on very pleasant terms, "yes, well, I may just have to do that soon," he said halfheartedly.

Chihiro could feel worry coming from Haku (it creeped her out a little to know what he was feeling), "Haku, you don't have to do that. We can just be very cautious."

"No, Chihiro, I need to do this. I knew I'd have to face my family someday, I just wasn't expecting it to be like this. I will leave in two weeks' time, that way I can make sure you are healed completely, Chihiro, and that all of the workers are comfortable with having a human in the bathhouse. Some spirits aren't exactly happy about the smell and the overall presence of you," he said this condescendingly but with concern for Chihiro.

"When I first came back, I thought you said they all missed me?" Chihiro was hurt by his words.

"Yes, the workers who worked in the bathhouse when you were there do miss you, but some of the new workers are very weary of you. They've all heard the story of your time here and many of them were ecstatic to meet you but some spirits, who were like me and had their landmarks destroyed by humans in your world aren't exactly happy about you being there," Haku was trying to be honest with her, knowing that she could now tell when he lied but it was hard for him to feel the sadness that passed through her and it hurt him even more to watch the emotion consume her face. He hated hurting her.

Chihiro felt selfish all of the sudden; she hadn't even asked about the Kohaku River or what became of it, "Haku, I'm so sorry! I never even asked about your river! What happened to it? Did you find it?"

Haku chuckled at her for worrying about that at a time like this, "Chihiro, it's fine. You've had a lot on your mind the past couple of days, I understand. Yes, I did find my river; it still runs very healthily through the spirit world and I even found a very small piece in the human world, that is more like a stream now. It is perfectly fine, and it missed me while I was away."

"Rivers can miss people?" Chihiro asked dumbly.

"You see, the river is not just a possession of mine; it is a piece of me, like an arm or leg. So when I was without it and it without me, it was as if we were missing half of our beings."

A thought popped into Chihiro's mind, something about what Haku said a minute ago, "Haku, you said the spirits at the bathhouse that don't like me were like you… does that mean you hate humans as well, for what they did to your river?"

"No, Chihiro, I don't hate them. They didn't destroy my river completely and it still runs strong throughout our world. I do believe, though, had I not met you, I wouldn't be as calm about the whole situation," he looked into her eyes and said softly, "you showed me that humans are more than destructive creatures; they can be kind and loving."

Chihiro blushed and looked down to the floor. She had no idea how to respond to that.

Zeniba cut in then, saying, "You two should be heading back, you've been here for quite a while."

Chihiro looked around and noticed that they had been at the cottage for 5 hours. It had gone by so fast! Then she realized that she hadn't seen No-Face or Boh in all the time she was there, "Granny, where are Boh and No-Face?"

"They're out running errands for me," She said with a gleam in her eye. She looked like she was up to something mischievous.

"Oh, well tell them 'hi' for me, will you?" Chihiro begged as she ran up to the old witch and hugged her tightly, "Thank you, Granny. I'll see you soon."

"Goodbye, my child," Zeniba said lovingly.

Haku bowed to Zeniba before walking out the front door and changing into his dragon form. He felt Chihiro jump on and grab his horns tightly before leaping into the sky, flying towards the bathhouse.

They were silent the whole way there, content with just watching the clouds pass them by.

An hour later, they set down on the balcony of Haku's quarters where Haku shifted back into his human form before Chihiro could get off, she squealed out of surprise as he gave her a piggy back ride into his kitchen and set her down on the counter, laughing at her facial expression.

"Why'd you do that, dragon?" Chihiro asked him, trying to keep a straight face, but failing as she watched delight play on Haku's face.

"I was just having a little fun," he chuckled and then added, "besides, if you consider your clumsiness and that fact that if you would have gotten off, you would have fallen just like you almost did when we arrived at Zeniba's earlier."

Chihiro fake pouted and turned her back on the laughing dragon, "You're mean. I don't wanna talk to you."

Haku picked up on her little game, "fine, I'm going to go hang out with Lin and Kamaji in the boiler room. I can hear them down there right now, talking about you, so see ya later!" He said and then started strutting towards the door.

"Ugh! Fine, you're forgiven!" she yelled as she hopped (or stumbled) off of the counter after him, "Are they really down there, though?"

"Yep, but Lin is coming back up now. She had just taken Kamaji his lunch and someone just told her that we've returned so she's on her way up here,"

"How do they know we're back? We haven't even seen anyone."

"They saw me fly onto my balcony," Haku chuckled some more.

"You said Lin's on her way up here, right now?" Chihiro wondered. She was in a playful mood as of now, "Wanna go hide? See if she can find us or if she'll go murder the messenger."

Haku loved the mood Chihiro was in. He was awed by the fact that she had been through so many horrible experiences and she could still be so amazing and cheerful, "Let's do it! I've got a good idea," he said excitedly before mumbling an enchantment that made them both invisible.

They both laughed about their little joke for another minute until they heard Lin banging on the door and eventually just barging in. They followed her around as she wondered through the many rooms in Haku's quarters.

Haku and Chihiro were having trouble not laughing out loud as the look on Lin's face got more confused. They followed her into Haku's office next to his quarters and heard her mutter, "Where the hell could they have gotten to? They haven't even been back five minutes, or so I'm told…"

Lin walked back towards the elevator when all of the sudden she heard a loud _thud_ behind her and then howling laughter. She turned around to see Chihiro and Haku lying on the floor as if they had fall, which they had; Chihiro tripped over her own foot and when Haku went to catch her, her other foot came around and trip him, causing them both to tumble to the floor and blow their cover.

"Where did you two come from?!" Lin exploded, but still laughing at the way her human sister and bossy dragon were piled on the floor.

Haku regained his composure first, "What are you talking about? We've been here the whole time," he said with a completely serious face, which only made Chihiro laugh even harder.

"No you haven't, I've looked all over this floor, you two were nowhere in sight," Lin was mad and confused now.

Chihiro calmed down enough to talk and said, "Lin, are you feeling okay? We just got back, we couldn't have gone anywhere else," she said innocently, with the straightest face she could manage.

Haku lifted himself off the floor and turned around to help Chihiro up as well as he said, "Maybe you should go visit the infirmary."

No Lin was losing a little of her composure but it was because she was infuriated, not because she was laughing uncontrollably, "No, I'm just fine! What the hell just happened?!"

Haku heard Chihiro's voice in his mind suddenly, _"Make us invisible again so she'll calm down and see what we did."_

_"Will do."_

Lin watched as Haku and Chihiro suddenly disappeared in front of her and then realized what had been pulled on her, "You jerks! I thought I was going insane!" Then she heard cackling coming from either side of her and jumped into the air with a squeal.

Haku saw that Lin was going to strike out at them so he grabbed Chihiro and darted into the elevator, making them reappear and laughing more at Lin's face as she realized they were now in the elevator.

Haku pulled the lever to go down but the doors couldn't close fast enough, Lin made it in the elevator angrily, and punched Haku in the arm and then started laughing like her little 'sister' was.

Haku laughed along with them as he said, "Okay, okay, truce!"

"Ya know, dragon? This little dope being here has definitely made you a softy. I'm glad, if me or any of the other workers had to watch you sulk or hear your demands for another day, I'm pretty sure we would've rebelled against you and then gone to the human world ourselves to get the little dope," Lin laughed.

They got off on the first floor and Haku's mood plummeted instantaneously at who he saw in the foyer. Chihiro and Lin watched as he stopped cold in his tracks, stepped protectively in front of Chihiro and growled at a small girl, the size of the human behind him. His sister.

Thanks for reading!

Please please please review! I love reading what you have to say!

Since I had this chapter up late, I am going to try and put Chapter 7 up sooner than usual! :)


	7. Chapter 7: Realization

5 reviews on Chapter 6! You have no idea how happy that makes me! So keep on reviewing!

Thank you to **JuliaAbadeerSkellington, Spirit Lover, AiMila, **and **ulquihime7980 **for reviewing! I absolutely loved every one of your comments and I appreciate you taking time to leave them! Keep on, please!

Chapter 7

Chihiro stood frigid behind the growling dragon in front of her. She was terrified and she had no idea what was happening or why Haku had gotten so upset. What could've turned his very playful mood into one so fowl?

Chihiro peered around Haku's lithe body to see a small girl about her size, who looked a lot like Haku except for bright red eyes that resembled fire, walking towards them with her hands up as if she were saying she meant no harm, "Kohaku," she purred.

"Amaterasu," Haku growled towards the girl, "what are you doing here?" He said calmly but his protective stance said he was anything but calm. He could feel Chihiro's fear and confusion from behind him but he wasn't going to turn his back on the potentially dangerous creature in front of him. Amaterasu may have been his sister but she could've been the one to bring the poison to the bathhouse the other day. He spoke to Chihiro telepathically, _"Don't worry, Chihiro, everything will be fine"._

"I am not here to cause trouble, Brother. I am here to help," Amaterasu said firmly, trying to coax Haku into relaxing.

"_Brother?" _Chihiro thought to Haku.

"_Yes, Amaterasu is my sister, the Goddess of Fire, or Goddess of the Sun if you like."_

"_Well that explains why Haku's mood had changed so drastically," _Chihiro thought.

"_I heard that." _The dragon mumbled in her mind. It wasn't like the thought was insulting but Chihiro still blushed and apologized.

Haku returned his attention to the bright red eyes staring at him and said, with hostility, "How could you help me?"

"Look, Kohaku, I know you know that someone in our family brought that vile old poison into your bathhouse, but I can promise you it was not me. I vow that to you," Amaterasu said while string deep into the emerald eyes of her brother.

"If not you, do you know who it was?"

"Kind of; I know why they did it, I'm just not sure who or how it happened so quickly."

Haku was becoming angrier by the minute but had partially relaxed his protective stance when he realized his workers had all stopped their working and were watching the little show, "Get back to work," he commanded coldly, "There is nothing to see here!"

Chihiro was even more scared now; she had never seen Haku act like this other than when he was under Yubaba's control all those years ago. She was now cowering away from his fuming form. Lin, who had been speechless throughout the entire encounter, saw the terrified look on the human's face and ran over to comfort her.

"Lin, take Chihiro up to your quarters and stay there with her until I notify you," Haku said indifferently after seeing Lin consoling the cowering human. He could feel every emotion coming from the small girl and he hated it. At first he thought it was Amaterasu who was scaring Chihiro but the way she looked at him, as if he was going to rip her to pieces, told him otherwise. It was him scaring her and she looked as if she would break down any second now.

Lin wasted no time in pulling Chihiro towards the elevator and into her quarters. They made it to the bedroom before Chihiro lost it completely and started sobbing uncontrollably. She was terrified and being able to feel all of Haku's emotions along with her own was overwhelming.

Lin wrapped her arms around the fragile human she called her sister and told her repeatedly that everything was going to be okay. They stayed like that for twenty minutes before Chihiro wore herself out with all of the crying and eventually drifted into an uneasy sleep.

Meanwhile, Haku and Amaterasu had moved to the top floor, in Haku's office. He wanted to know what his sister meant, "You have 10 minutes to convince me to not kick you out of my bathhouse, go."

"You never were one to beat around the bush, you crabby dragon," Amaterasu muttered bravely before starting her story, "Okay, a few weeks ago, mom and dad were talking about you. They said they were going to try to get you to come home."

"Why now? It's been a thousand years," Haku wondered.

"A lot has been going on as of late. Dad is getting pretty old; you know he's been King of this world for over 200,000 years, he's getting tired of it."

"So what? Spirits don't die. He could continue to be King for another millennia or two. He doesn't need me just because he's growing tired of his job."

"Yes, but he's getting weary of the travel, he wishes for you to do it for him. Wait, you got me off track, that part isn't important right now. So, Mom and Dad were planning on how they could get you back, and they knew you owned this bathhouse," and after seeing the confused look on Haku's face, she said, "they've been having you watched the past six years. They were able to track you for a while but apparently you lost yourself for a few years, so when you found yourself again and they were able to sense you, they had you tracked so that they wouldn't lose you again."

"Why do they even care? All they ever used me for was their dirty deeds. They never cared, so why the hell do they care now?!"

"Kohaku, they are your parents, we are a family. They always cared."

"How could you defend them Ama?" He asked, using his childhood nickname for her, "Even after what they did to the one you loved?"

"They were just trying to protect me. I know that now; they just wanted the best for their daughter," Amaterasu cried.

"Their way of protecting is killing their daughter's fiancé just because he is below her? Ama that's just cruel. They wanted to set you up with some other spoiled royal fucker!"

"Kohaku, you better watch your language around me! You may be my older brother but I've been training since you left all those years ago," Her eyes flashed like fire.

"Really? Were you an apprentice to an evil old witch who sent you out on dangerous missions? Oh wait, that was me! I will win in a fight against you, little sister," Haku bared his dragon fangs at the small girl but she didn't even flinch.

"Whatever, Kohaku, just listen," Amaterasu back down, "I was trying to get away from the palace to come warn you, but ever since you escaped their clutches, security has gotten tighter, so it was a little difficult. Then, we heard that you had brought a human back to our world. Obviously that pissed off Dad. You know how much he despises humans. Anyways, the informer made it seem like you were falling in love with the human, so I tried harder to come to you and I finally succeeded, but I was too late. I passed by two of Dad's confidents on the way here. They didn't see me but I heard them. They were talking about what they had done here. I'm so sorry, Brother."

"No one was hurt. The human is still alive and well, so no harm done but I still don't want them coming after me, and definitely not Chihiro."

"Is that her name? Was that the one you were protecting downstairs?"

"Yes, that was Chihiro. She is the human I brought here."

"Can I ask why you would do such a thing?" Amaterasu asked gently; very aware of her brother's temper.

"You know how Mom and Dad weren't able to track me for a few years?" She nodded and he continued, "Well, the part of my river that ran through the human world was destroyed and so I lost myself. I wondered around until I found the bathhouse and then my name was stolen from me by the witch Yubaba. I worked as her apprentice for five years before Chihiro wondered into our world. She seemed familiar to me, but I couldn't figure it out. Her parents had been turned into pigs so I helped her get them back and she saved me from a curse that had taken over my body. We were flying when she remembered that she had fallen into a river when she was four, trying to fetch a little pick shoe she had dropped and she was rescued by a dragon. The river she fell into was mine and I was the dragon who saved her. She helped me remember my name and find myself again," Haku smiled fondly at the memory.

"You speak of her as if you are in love, Kohaku."

"Yes, well after what she did for me I couldn't help myself. Plus, there is just something about her that speaks to me. She's no ordinary human."

"Why did you let her leave, then?"

"She was a scared 10 year old girl. All she wanted was to see her parents again; I had to let her go."

"Then why is she back?"

Haku was getting annoyed with his little sister's inquisition but answered, "I had to see her again. I made a promise to her that I would, so I searched for a way into her world and when I finally did, I found her beaten and close to death. The time Chihiro's parents spent as pigs changed them and they turned violent. They treated her as a servant rather than a daughter and whenever they were angry they took it out on her. The night I found her was the worst, apparently. They were drunk and in the kitchen so they both grabbed knives and started stabbing her until she blacked out from the pain. I knew I couldn't leave her there so I brought her back here."

Amaterasu had become teary at his story, "You saved her life because you love her! That's so sweet! But this world is dangerous for humans, Kohaku. How do you plan on protecting her? I mean she's only been here a few days and Mom and Dad are already after her."

"I know, Ama, but I have already taken care of it."

"How?"

Haku blushed slightly and quietly muttered, "We linked". He knew his sister's hearing was as good as him so it pissed him off when she asked what he said, "WE LINKED, DAMN IT".

"Seriously, Kohaku? You must really love her, huh? Does she know that?" Amaterasu asked sympathetically.

"No, and I don't plan on telling her any time soon. She could never love me back. I'm just a bitter old dragon who could only ever be her friend," he cast his gaze downwards, avoiding the red eyes of his sister.

Amaterasu, being slightly kinder than Haku walked over to him and hugged him tightly, "Everything is going to work out fine, Kohaku. Don't worry"

"Thank you, Ama. Would you like to stay here for the time being or are you going to go back to the palace?" He asked kindly, his composure returning to him.

"I would love to stay here, thank you. I want to spend some time with the human who captured my big brother's heart," Amaterasu jumped up and down excitedly, "let's go hang out with her!"

Haku reached out with his mind to see how Chihiro was doing but it seemed like she was sleeping so he said, "Not right now, Ama. It is past closing time and she has fallen asleep. We should too. Would you mind sleeping in my quarters tonight? You can have the bed; I'll sleep on the couch and then I'll find you your own quarters first thing tomorrow."

"That's cool! I am pretty tired," Amaterasu let out a big yawn and followed Haku to his quarters. He showed her to the bed where she would sleep and then went to sleep on the couch. They both fell into a deep sleep quickly.

Haku woke the next morning to a loud sound coming from somewhere in his quarters; kind of like someone was jumping rope or bouncing. He bolted upwards forgetting he was on his couch and end up on the floor. A minute later his little sister danced her way into his living room and laughed at the state he was in, "What are you doing on the floor, Big Brother?"

The sleepy dragon glared at the little spirit across the room and growled, "Were you the one who made that loud bang a minute ago?" he asked as he lifted himself off of the floor.

"Maybe, did it sound like a small girl jumping up and down on the big bed she was sleeping in, trying to pretend she was a monkey spirit?" Amaterasu asked innocently, batting her big red eyes at her big brother.

"Amaaaa," Haku drew out her name as if he were whining, "I wanted sleep!"

"Oh, get over yourself. You know, you've slept for five hours, you're fine. Now, let's go meet this little human of yours!"

"Humans need a lot more sleep than we do, Ama. Especially Chihiro since her body is still trying to recover from its beaten and malnourished state."

Haku soon discovered his little sister had not changed much in the last thousand years when she pouted, "But I wanna meet her nooowwww!" Haku laughed at her; when they were younger, Amaterasu would always use her big puppy dog eyes and an innocent voice to get everything she wanted from her big brother. It always worked.

As hard as it was to resist the puppy dog eyes of his little sister, Haku cared more for Chihiro's well-being so he just said, "You know the one thing I missed after I left?"

"Me," Ama said cheekily.

Haku rolled his eyes and said, "Close; I miss our flying time. I used to love when we got to be free of the prison and fly wherever we wished and had nothing to worry about."

"Not as fun doing it alone, is it? I knew I made everything better for you, even when you could me an annoying brat," She giggled as she walked towards the balcony and shifted to her dragon form. The dragon resembled the great golden dragon of China; it had scales like gold and a red mane that flowed in the wind coming from outside. It turned its head towards Haku to show a bright red eye that gleamed with mischief before taking off into the sky; a silver dragon with an aquamarine mane in quick pursuit.

After three hours of racing, joking and reminiscing, Haku and Amaterasu returned to the bathhouse, giggling like little kids as they shifted back into their human forms.

"Do you think your little human is awake yet?" Ama asked eagerly for the forty ninth time in the last hour.

Haku rolled his eyes at his tenacious little sister before looking through the new connection between him and Chihiro. It felt like she was only half awake, and so that's what he told Ama, who responded by grabbing his wrist in a vicelike grip saying, "That's close enough."

As much as he adored his baby sister, Haku was annoyed as hell and couldn't stand to be alone with her for another minute, so he half ran to Chihiro's and Lin's quarters. He couldn't hear Lin inside and decided to knock so as not to scare the human.

Chihiro was only partially awake, lying in her bed, when she heard a soft knock on the door, "What?" she groaned; aggravated she couldn't sleep just a little longer.

She heard a light chuckle from a voice she knew well and only then did she realize she had taken off her nightgown in her sleep; she must have been hot last night. She pulled the blankest up to her neck, covering herself completely, just in time to see Haku and his sister walk into the room. Chihiro froze. They looked so relaxed and she didn't understand how, since only last night everything had been so tense.

"Good morning, Chihiro," Haku said pleasantly, "I don't believe I formally introduced you to my sister last night. Chihiro this is Ama, I mean Amaterasu, and Amaterasu this is Chihiro."

Ama's eyes lit up and she jumped up and down like an excited child, "Oh, it's so nice to meet you! I've been waiting forever!"

"Nice to meet you, too, Amaterasu," Chihiro mumbled politely but she was very confused.

"Call me Ama, that's what Kohaku calls me."

"Kohaku?" Chihiro said rather idiotically. She had not fully awakened yet so it took her a moment to realize, "Oh! Haku!"

Haku was standing in the doorway watching the women as they met. He suggested they go down and get some breakfast and both girls agreed. When he asked Chihiro if she was still in bed because she was in pain, she quickly denied and blushed furiously. He didn't understand, "I just need a minute or two, Haku. You all go ahead and I'll meet you at the elevator."

As soon as Haku and Ama walked out of her room, Chihiro jumped out of the bed, with a sheet wrapped around her and ran to her closet. She donned the traditional bathhouse uniform, the salmon pants and shirt, as it seemed to be the only clean thing in her closet. She hurried to the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair before meeting the others at the end of the hall, next to the elevators.

They made their way to the dining hall in silence, none of them having anything to say, until Chihiro thought, _"Haku, I thought you were mad at her? I thought it was her who brought the poison?"_

"_No, but she knows why it happened and who was the source."_

"_Then who?"_

"_My parents. They want me back under their control and they want you gone."_

"_But they don't even know me. What did I do to make them try to kill me?" _Out of the corner of his eye, Haku saw Chihiro cower a little, but she was keeping her eyes trained on the floor so he couldn't tell what she was feeling. He wished he could wrap her in his arms and comfort her but assumed she wouldn't like that.

"_It's not just you; it's all humans. He despises them all for what they do to the spirits he is counted on to protect."_

"_Not all humans are like that, though!" _She shouted in his head, and he could tell she was fighting off tears.

"_I understand that but they don't, they only see the bad."_

Chihiro couldn't respond anymore, so she just followed the siblings to the dining hall. They grabbed their breakfast and sat at a secluded table.

Amaterasu could not contain herself any longer, "So what are humans like?" she blurted out.

"Amaterasu!" Haku glared at his sister and bared his fangs, terrifying Chihiro.

"No, Haku, it's fine, I understand her curiosity," Chihiro said gently, trying to calm down her favorite dragon.

"No, Chihiro, people shouldn't be so damn rude," he said pointedly.

Ama looked down at her plate, guilty, "I'm sorry, I just want to know more about your kind, and you, especially since my brother has grown so infatuated with you."

Haku stared at Ama in disbelief. How could she say that so blatantly? He used his magic to shout at his sibling without Chihiro knowing or hearing, _"WHAT THE HELL, AMA?! WHAT KIND OF FUCKING DEMON SPIRIT POSSESSED YOU TO SAY THAT?"_

"_Huh? Kohaku? I didn't say anything bad!" _Ama looked at her brother innocently, but Haku could see the mischievous gleam deep in her red eyes.

"_Don't play innocent, Ama." _Haku returned his attention to Chihiro who had her head down and was slowly eating her food. He could see a small smile and rosy red, embarrassed cheeks, but her eyes were hidden.

Chihiro couldn't believe what she had just heard and had no idea how to respond, so she just continued eating her breakfast and stared at her plate. She felt her cheeks flame with the evidence of a blush when she thought, _"Is it possible he might feel the same way I feel? I know he cares about me but I thought he saw me more of a little sister… but seeing him with his sister, I don't think it's like that."_

They all sat in silence for a minute before Ama got annoyed with it, "So, big brother, are you going to find me a room or am I going to get to steal your very comfortable bed from you every night?"

"Oh, yes, right," Haku stuttered, "Lin keeps track of who has which room and which guest rooms are vacant so we should go find her," he stated formally, standing from the table and turning towards Chihiro, "I guess I'll see you later," he bowed.

"What? No, Kohaku, I want Chihiro to come with us! I want to hang out with her," she whined.

"Why don't we ask her? Chihiro would you like to accompany us?"

"Um, I'm not sure," she stood up as well, with the intentions of making up an excuse and bolting for Lin's quarters but Ama had other plans. She grabbed Chihiro's arm and said, "Let's go! You know, I've never had any real friends, what with living in that damned palace and all but I like you, so you can be my first," she looped her arm through Chihiro's and towed her towards the front door.

Haku cleared his throat, "Ama, wrong way. I hear Lin on the 57th floor so we have to go to the elevators, not the gardens.

"Not exactly," Ama said excitedly before turning to her dragon form and soaring high into the sky, doing flips and turns, and showing off for her new human friend.

Chihiro and Haku looked at each other awkwardly before Chihiro said, "Elevator or fly?" She didn't like the tension between them so she tried lightening the mood by saying, "Either way I'm jumping on your back! Someone woke me up too early," she giggled.

Haku was glad for the joking, he liked it when there was absolutely no awkwardness, "Well, if you put it that way…" She turned into his dragon form, waited for the little human to hop on and then flew after his sister.

Chihiro loved the feeling of the wind blowing her hair all around her, and Haku beneath her. She watched as the smaller, gold and red dragon twirled and flipped in the air, showing off and then asked Haku, "Can you do that kind of stuff, Haku?"

She heard his reply in her head, _"Hell yeah! Wanna see?" _Chihiro giggled and said yes, thinking about how much she loved the carefree Haku that she was currently riding on. All of the sudden, Haku spiraled his way down towards the Earth, with Chihiro terrified on his back. At the last second, he pulled up and flipped backwards and then did a loop like a rollercoaster would do. Chihiro laughed some more and watched as the siblings did some kind of dragon air show through the sky, involving some twirls, and flips and spirals.

They played around for about 15 minutes before finally making their way to the 57th floor of the bathhouse and finding Lin, "Chihiro, did you just wake up? Your hair looks like a lion's mane," Lin laughed.

Chihiro feigned offence, turning away and huffing. The other three just laughed at her, and then Haku snapped his fingers and her hair was straight and detangled in an instant. In her head she heard Haku, _"You look beautiful no matter what your hair resembles."_

"_Thank you, Haku," _Chihiro muttered telepathically as she looked to the ground, blushing furiously.

Haku asked Lin which of the upper-class guest rooms were available and only then did she realize that Ama was with them, "For her? No way. How could you trust her if she's a part of your family? Your family that tried to kill Chihiro and make all of the workers ill," she glared at the Fire Goddess.

"Lin, she is not the one who brought poison into our bathhouse. She has information that can help us, though and I will inform you of that later. For now, I would like to know which rooms are available," Haku said sternly.

"Fine," Lin huffed, "there's one room on the floor below mine."

"Good," Haku smiled pleasantly and said, "I'm going to show Ama to her room and then go do some paperwork in my office," he then bowed to Lin and Chihiro and walked off, leading Ama to her room, and leaving Chihiro to hang out with Lin.

Chihiro waited until Haku and Ama were out of sight before telling Lin what Ama had said as they ate their breakfast. She was a little dumbfounded when Lin looked completely unsurprised, like the news had been obvious. Lin was actually smiling a little goofily at the oblivious human in front of her.

"Why aren't you surprised? And why do you have that stupid grin on your face?" Chihiro wondered.

"You little dope! If you asked any one of the workers or guests in the bathhouse they would say the exact same thing that Ama did. The only thing that surprises me is that you didn't notice how he looks at you or how he is a complete softy around you," Lin giggled.

"What do you mean? He doesn't look at me differently than he looks at anyone else and the only reason he's a 'softy' around me is because he feels bad for me because of what my parents did to me."

"Chihiro, how do you not see that he likes you; not just as a friend, but more."

Chihiro was having trouble comprehending this information. She knew how she felt about him but she knew he could never feel the same as her, "But he can't like me. I'm just a pathetic and defenseless human who's always in the way. I'm a distraction and I cause trouble here because spirits don't like me."

Despite Lin's natural instinct to make jokes, she can be serious, "You get dopier by the minute, Chihiro. First of all, you are not just some pathetic and defenseless human. You came to the Spirit World as a _10_ year old child, scared to death. You avoided being changed into a pig; saved Haku's life and gave him his name back; faced Yubaba and her sister even though you had no idea what you were getting yourself into. Befriended a giant man eating No-Face even though it had consumed half of the bathhouse. And you managed to survive through 6 years of your parents beatings and somehow you still have the ability to laugh, smile, and just be happy. That doesn't sound very pathetic or defenseless." Lin looked down at Chihiro as if she really was her little sister and smiles lovingly.

Chihiro began, "But Lin, that doesn—"

She was cut off by Lin, "Hold on. Who said I was finished? Anyway, second of all, you didn't hear what Kamaji told me when you went to Zeniba's six years ago to save Haku's life. I asked that crazy old boiler man what was going on and he told me, 'it's something you wouldn't recognize; it's called love.' Chihiro, you and Haku loved each other six years ago; do you think that's changed?"

"I don't know," Chihiro muttered, shrugging her shoulders and staring at the floor.

"Chihiro, I am going to ask you this only once. Do you love Haku?"

Chihiro thought about lying, keeping her feelings hidden but then realized that she didn't want to do that any longer. She had tell someone, so she lifted her head, looked straight into Lin's eyes and said, "Yes."

Lin grinned cheekily, "Why are you still talking to me about this then? Go talk to dragon boy! I promise you that he can return your feelings wholeheartedly."

"But I'll just make a fool ou—"

Lin cut her off and began pushing her towards the elevators saying, "Did you say something? Oh wait, no you didn't because you were too busy walking up to go tell your dragon how you feel…" Lin blabbered on so that Chihiro couldn't come up with any more excuses not to go see Haku. She pushed her in the elevator and then ran away fast with a childish grin on her face.

Chihiro grumbled to herself as she pulled the lever down and the got a nervous feeling deep in her stomach. What in the world was she about to do?

So, yeah, sorry about the cliffhanger but this is already the longest chapter yet and I thought it'd be a good place to leave off. I've already started on the next chapter though!

Just to let you guys know my process for writing this story; I come home from school and read whatever I can find for about an hour and then I do homework and then I type and add to this story until I go to sleep. Then, on Sundays (usually, but since I was late last week I figured I should be early this week) I edit and revise and post! This chapter, though, did not get edited or revised because I really wanted it posted tonight so I'm sorry if there are any mistakes. Just let me know if I made any major ones and I'll go back and fix them!

I love all of you for reading this! (By the way this story has over 1,100 views! )

Please keep on reading and I hope to see a few more reviews as the story progresses!


	8. Chapter 8: Small Confessions

_Words CANNOT express how very sorry I am for not updating in forever! I couldn't seem to get their confession scene just right, (and it still doesn't seem like the best), so I asked someone to be my beta reader to help me with it, but as soon as I sent her all of my chapters and ideas, she stopped contacting and replying to me. By the way, I am extremely PISSED about that! Anyways, I gave her 2 weeks to respond but I wasn't going to make you wait any longer after that cliffhanger, so here is the confession scene, and ONLY the confession scene because I didn't want you all to wait for the entire chapter._

_Again, SUPER SORRY! And thank you to __**JuliaAbadeerSkellington, Aimila, tinawinna, Girl With Random Obsessions, Angel's Anthem, ulquihime7980, EndlessWonderIan, S-D, Aspie Story Teller101, and a few Guests **__I really appreciate you all taking the time to review! Love you guys!_

Chapter 8

Haku was sitting behind his desk in his office, thinking about his day, or more specifically, what Ama had said to Chihiro earlier. When he left Chihiro with Lin to escort Ama to her room, Haku overheard what the human and her adoptive sister were talking about but after Chihiro told Lin what had happened at breakfast, Ama began rambling on about how much she liked Chihiro and distracted him from the conversation that was taking place a few floors below them.

After he left Ama's quarters, Haku was more than tempted to eavesdrop on the conversation that revolved around him and the small woman he loved, but he respected her privacy and just worked on organizing the books onto a new bookshelf he just got, that is, until he heard the elevator stop on the top floor and light footsteps walking towards his office; footsteps he knew to be Chihiro's. He heard her hesitate by the door for a minute before knocking, her heart beating faster than he had ever heard and he beckoned her in. Through their link, he felt her nervousness, and got worried.

Chihiro slowly pushed the door of Haku's office open. She was absolutely positive she was going to tell him how she felt but once she made it in the room, she lost a little of her confidence. She tried to ignore the part of her telling her to turn around and run as fast and far as she could and said, "Hey, Haku, are you busy?" she asked in a small voice, looking at his desk rather than the dragon himself.

"Not at all, Chihiro, are you okay? You look a little nervous, and kind of pale." He watched her as she twirled her beautiful brown hair around her small fingers and walked towards him nervously, stopping only a foot away from him. "Why don't we go sit on the couch? You're worrying me," Haku said as he guided Chihiro to the couch he conjured only a few days ago for Chihiro.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she mumbled nervously while sitting down, "I just wanted to talk to you about something."

"What did you want to talk about?" He watched her twiddle her fingers for a minute before she finally met his eyes, the first time since she walked in. They were like open books, showing Haku the feelings that were taking over Chihiro's body.

Chihiro felt confidence race through her as she stared into the emerald eyes of the wonderful dragon in front of her, "Haku, about what Ama said earlier, was it true, are you really 'infatuated' with me?"

Haku was stunned for a second. Staring into the chocolate eyes he loved, before he responded, "Yes," without even thinking. He couldn't lie to her. It's not like he could if he tried, not with her looking at him like she was.

"I like you, too," she said quietly but still with confidence, "a lot".

Haku felt shocked at first and then it seemed as if his whole body became excited and relaxed at once, like this was the moment he had been waiting for his entire life. A wide grin spread across his face. He never thought those words would come out of Chihiro's mouth; he never thought she'd like a stupid, conceded dragon God, but that made it all better and even though he wasn't the type of person who imagined things, he still had to make sure he wasn't hearing things, "Seriously? Do you really mean that, Chihiro?" He scooted a little closer to the small human on the opposite side of the couch.

Chihiro did the same and ended up only inches away from the dragon she just confessed to. She whispered, "Yes," and waited for his reaction.

Haku froze for an instant, basking in the feeling of happiness, before he closed the space between them and embraced her tightly. The hug felt different than all of the other hugs they had shared since Chihiro's return; it just meant so much more. It represented everything they felt for each other, even if neither of them would voice how much they loved the other until they knew they were ready.

They stayed enveloped in each other's arms for another minute before breaking apart and staring at each other. Chihiro, all of the sudden became bashful and slowly said, "You should probably be getting back to work, huh?"

"I should, but I don't want to and I'm the boss so I don't have to," He smiled at her cheekily.

"Haku, don't fall behind on your work just because of me, I will be fine by myself for a while," she grinned at him, "I shouldn't have interrupted you anyways, I just needed to tell you before I chickened out."

"Well, you can interrupt me anytime you'd like, and that includes now. I may have some paperwork to do but that can wait," he said adoringly, and then hugged her tightly once again, wishing the moment could last forever, "Can we just sit here for a while, please? I don't want you to go yet. I've waited so long for this moment."

"Of course," Chihiro said shyly, "I didn't really want to go anyways," and then snuggled in closer to the dragon she loved.

One floor below, Ama was having fun redecorating her room, conjuring up new furniture that better fit her tastes. Like her brother, she liked extravagant décor that reflected herself, her fire and light. Gold and red were flying around the Goddess of the Sun. While she redecorated, Ama eavesdropped on the conversation occurring a floor above her. She squealed with excitement when she heard the two settle into a couch. She knew how happy her brother must have been at that moment.

Ama was nothing like her parents, who resented humans, she loved the idea of someday having a human sister-in-law, but she knew that her parents or one of their henchmen would be coming any day now to try to force Haku back to the palace. That meant harming Chihiro and Ama couldn't let that happen. She started to think of ways she could stop them, or at the very least, delay them. Then she got a call.

An hour had passed since Chihiro's and Haku's confession to each other. They were stull cuddling on the couch in Haku's office, but Chihiro had fallen asleep snuggled up close to her favorite dragon.

Haku had always been content to just watch Chihiro sleep, but he found out soon after she had fallen asleep that she talks in her sleep, which made watching her even more enjoyable. Since she returned to the Spirit World, not once has he heard her mumble a single word while sleeping, but now she was doing it every 10 minutes or so.

"Ryou, I miss you," was the first thing she had said and Haku was baffled. He remembered the name mentioned in passing but Chihiro never told him who Ryou was. Haku was a little jealous until Chihiro sighed and mumbled, "Haku," contentedly. He relaxed and listened to her heartbeat and the small but endearing words she mumbled every once and a while. He was delighted, considering every mumbled comment that came out of her mouth involved him in some way, but she never said what he was hoping for, "I love you."

Chihiro began to stir, beneath Haku's arm and she looked up, confused for a moment about her surroundings but then she remembered what had happened before she drifted off to sleep and blushed, looking up into the emerald eyes she loved, "Hi," she said gently, smiling.

"Hey, sleepyhead," then she watched as his look turned uncertain and then said, "You avoided this question before, but who's Ryou?"

Chihiro was surprised at the question. She blushed deeply and then said, "You really wanna know?"

Since she was blushing, Haku felt like he was invading Chihiro's privacy, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

She watched as his face fell a little, and felt bad for hurting him. She looked down at her fingers, twined together, and started, "When my parents first started beating me, all I could hope for was someone to comfort me…save me," she looked up to see a guilty look on her dragon's face and continued, "as time passed, they got more and more aggressive and I was more desperate for companionship.

"One day, when I was walking home from school, a car passed me and this stuffed dragon flew out of the window and almost hit me. The dragon was white with a blue mane, so it reminded me of you, even though the colors didn't match you exactly. I picked it up and hugged it, and somehow it gave me the strength to go home and face my worst nightmares." She was staring at her hands again, twiddling her thumbs to distract her. She felt Haku shift and then felt his fingers under her chin, turning her head towards him.

"Chihiro, I don't think I could ever tell you how sorry I am for leaving you to fend for yourself for six years. You didn't deserve to face that on your own, and I will regret that for the rest of my exis—"

His eyes were pleading her to forgive him, so she interrupted, "Haku, you didn't know what was happening to me. I don't blame you for any of it, and neither should you. You saved me. So, please stop worrying about it. I am perfectly fine now, besides the skin and bones and that won't forever," she grabbed his hand and held it tight, "Plus, I had Ryou, who helped me through the worst times. I wasn't completely alone." She smiled up at him.

"Did you know you talk in your sleep?" Haku asked randomly.

Chihiro was taken aback, "I know I did it when I was a child, but I thought I had stopped after my ninth birthday," then she thought of all of the things she could've said and quickly asked, "What did I say?"

Haku laughed at her terrified expression, "What do you think you said?"

"I don't know," she blushed.

"Well, you said I was the most handsome man and dragon you have ever seen and that you're the queen of the world," he said mockingly, laughing.

Chihiro giggled at him but then whined, "Seriously, Haku, what did I saaay?"

He could never deny her of what she wanted so he conceded, "Okay, fine, you said you miss Ryou."

"Anything else?"

Haku felt that telling Chihiro what she said about him would embarrass her so he just said, "Nope. That was the only thing." He watched as she visibly relaxed in front of him and silently wondered what she thought she said that could be so bad. He looked down at her saddened face and realized that she hadn't said anything about her missing Ryou, "Chihiro, do you want Ryou?"

She was deep in thought so she jumped a little when she heard his voice but responded instantly, without thinking, "Yes."

"I could go get him for you, if you'd like. He seems to be important to you," Haku murmured, but he was secretly hoping she'd say she was fine without the stuffed animal. He wanted to be enough for her to feel protected and secure.

"I don't know. I don't want to leave him there with… well, them, but they've probably already thrown him and all of my stuff out of that house…I think I'll be fine here without him."

Haku saw through her façade and into the uncertainty that was evident in her eyes, "It wouldn't hurt to go see. I'll go this weekend; that'll give me four days to spend with you and make sure everything here is settled," he walked towards her and embraced her lovingly. He was ecstatic that he could now hug her for as long as he wants, without it being awkward.

Chihiro loved the feeling of Haku's arms wrapped around her. She felt protected, cherished, and loved for the first time in six years. She relaxed in his arms, contented to stay there forever.

They broke apart when Chihiro's stomach growled. Haku chuckled and said, "Maybe now that you've been here for a few days and have had food at regular intervals, your stomach is finally ready to eat more."

Chihiro laughed with him, "Maybe. I really want some more onigiri."

"Okay, do you want to eat up here or would you like to have a picnic with me down in the gardens?" He asked, grabbing her hand.

"A picnic sounds perfect," she smiled up at him and then got to her feet, pulling Haku up behind her (or at least trying to).

They made their way downstairs, hand in hand, in comfortable silence, and when they walked out of the elevator on the first floor they were met with very curious bathhouse workers, followed by clapping. The new couple blushed before Haku muttered for everyone to get back to work. Then they heard some saying, "What's all the commotion about? Everybody keep on with your work," and saw Lin with a wide smile spreading slowly across her face, "FINALLLLLLYYYY!" She yelled before running at her sister.

Chihiro had felt uncomfortable with all of the attention, so she hid her face behind Haku's shoulder until she heard Lin scream something and then felt arms engulf her, almost knocking her down. Haku put his hand behind her back to keep her from falling before glaring at Lin, who just said, "Oops," and continued hugging her little sister, "Took you guys long enough. I was beginning to think you were both dopes!"

Chihiro laughed but Haku said, "Watch yourself, Lin," before chuckling softly. Lin finally let go of Chihiro and asked, "How'd it happen? You guys were just friends earlier and it hasn't even been 3 hours!"

Chihiro's stomach growled again and she looked around to see all the workers staring again, "Lin, can we talk about this later, more privately. I'm really hungry right now."

"Fiiine," Lin whined, "but you better not hold back any details later!" She hugged Chihiro once more before skipping off to go order the frogs around.

Haku looked down at Chihiro, grabbing her hand once again, "How about that picnic?"

"Can't wait," Chihiro said as Haku pulled her towards the gardens. "It's beautiful out here," Chihiro said, gazing at the sky. Chihiro had almost forgotten that it was nighttime instead of the afternoon, so she was delightfully surprised. The stars in the Spirit World were so much brighter than in the Human World. There wasn't any pollution or smog that could hide their beauty, so all she could do was stare, captured by the stars' magnificence.

"I've seen better," Haku murmured, watching Chihiro adoringly. Chihiro looked up at her favorite dragon, wondering what could be more amazing than the stars. After a beat, she realized he was talking about her and glanced down at her feet, blushing, "I think you need your eyes checked…"

"My eyes as a spirit and dragon are much better than a human's, so I don't think you see yourself as clearly as I do," he said in all seriousness.

Chihiro couldn't believe what she was hearing. How in the world could anyone think she was pretty, yet alone beautiful? She thought about her bones sticking out of her body sickeningly, and her clumsiness. How could anyone like her, especially a powerful River God/ Sea God/ prince of the Spirit World? She didn't understand, so she just stared at the ground.

Haku stopped and turned her around to face him, but she kept her head down, "Chihiro, look at me," he said fiercely, and didn't continue until she did as he asked, "I know you've been through a lot of shit in your life, and you don't think very highly of yourself, but you have to believe me when I say that you are the most beautiful, inspiring, and remarkable person I have ever met. I understand that your vicious parents made you think that you were unworthy and a disappointment, but they were wrong. Every bad thing they said about you was just a bunch of bullshit that they needed to say to make themselves feel better. Please, Chihiro, don't think so lowly of yourself. You are the best person I know."

Chihiro felt tears welling up and start to spill over. She had no idea what to say, so she just stepped forward to wrap her arms around Haku, who held her as she cried softly into his chest thinking, "_Wow, what a way to start your first date, idiot."_

After a few minutes, Haku apologized to the fragile human and tried to calm her down. He said he was sorry for upsetting her and told her he should've let it go.

Chihiro eventually settled down enough to pull away from him and look into his deep emerald eyes. All she had to say was, "Thank you."

Haku was beyond confused. He didn't really know what had just happened but he was glad she had stopped crying, "Chihiro, I don't understand. I thought I upset you."

"Haku, you didn't upset me. You made me see things from a whole different perspective. For my entire life, all I've seen myself as is this cowering, ugly freak who couldn't be loved, but you make everything clearer. It may take me a while, but I'm going to try to see myself as you see me. So, thank you," She stared into his eyes for another moment before finding the courage to lean up on her tiptoes and kiss him lightly.

Haku was surprised at the unexpected action, so it took him a moment to respond. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. The link that they shared, magically, heightened their feelings during the kiss, because each of them focused on what the other was feeling, which was love, even though neither of them was ready to admit it.

They pulled apart a few minutes later, breathless, when Chihiro's stomach growled yet again. She blushed while Haku chuckled, "As nice as that was, we better get to our picnic before your stomach eats you."

"I guess so, it is getting quite angry, it seems," she giggled.

They eventually made it to the gardens. It was around 2:00 in the morning and so the moon and starlight were the only things lighting up the magnificence that was the garden.

Chihiro watched as Haku conjured up a picnic blanket, and basket, and also some candles, making it romantic. They sat down and ate their onigiri in silence, neither of them wanting to ruin the moment with words. Their actions were saying it all. Chihiro began to shiver and Haku scooted close to her, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She cuddled into him, blushing once again.

"I think this might just be the best night of my life," Haku murmured after they had finished eating.

"It can't argue with that. It was pretty perfect," Chihiro looked up at her favorite dragon and he leaned down to kiss her for the second time tonight.

"Ya know? I think I might just want to stay here forever. Just resting in your arms under the stars," Chihiro said after they broke apart.

"That's exactly what I was thinking. I'm not going anywhe—"Haku was cut off by someone shouting "Master Haku! Master Haku!" in the distance.

Chihiro sighed, "That sounds serious…"

Haku looked down at her and smiled, "I'll worry about it later, it's probably something small anyway. Tonight is just for us."

Chihiro gave his lips another peck before they both heard, "Master Haku!" they had been found. "Master Haku, Miss Amaterasu is unconscious in the hallway on the top floor."

"Shit!" Haku muttered.

_So what did you all think? Leave your comments please! I absolutely love reading them! _

_Also, I've read a lot of other fan fictions for Spirited Away and many of them include a dragon mating season… should I have that in this story? And if you all want me to do anything particular with this story, just comment and tell me what you think should happen _

_THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! I LOVE YOU ALL!_


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